Peribronchial cuffing

Peribronchial cuffing, also referred to as peribronchial thickening or bronchial wall thickening, is a radiologic sign which occurs when excess fluid or mucus buildup in the small airway passages of the lung causes localized patches of atelectasis (lung collapse).^[1] This causes the area around the bronchus to appear more prominent on an X-ray. It has also been described as donut sign, considering the edge is thicker, and the center contains air.

Peribronchial cuffing is seen in a number of conditions including:

• acute bronchitis
• asthma following exercise or during an acute episode
• bronchiolitis
• bronchopulmonary dysplasia
• congestive heart failure
• cystic fibrosis
• diffuse parenchymal lung disease
• Extreme exertion through physical exercise
• Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome
• human metapneumovirus
• Kawasaki disease
• Lung cancer
• Pneumonia
• pulmonary edema
• Smoke inhalation

Treatment

As peribronchial cuffing is a sign rather than a symptom or condition, there is no specific treatment except to treat the underlying cause.

References

1. ↑ Bramson RT, Griscom NT, Cleveland RH. (2005). "Interpretation of chest radiographs in infants with cough and fever.". Radiology 236 (1): 22–29. doi:10.1148/radiol.2361041278. PMID 15983074.