Air Bronchogram Sign.

Pulmonary Medicine Blog By Dr Deepu

Air bronchogram

An air bronchogram is a tubular outline of an airway made visible by filling of the surrounding alveoli by fluid or inflammatory exudates. It is almost always caused by a pathologic airspace/alveolar process, in which something other than air fills the alveoli.

 Six causes of air bronchograms are

Lung consolidation

Pulmonary edema

Nonobstructive pulmonary atelectasis

Severe interstitial disease

Neoplasm

Normal expiration.

In The Image Air Bronchogram is seen.

The Magnified Image Showing Air Bronchogram On CXR and Confirmed With HRCT

The phenomenon is Characterised by  air-filled bronchi (dark) being made visible by the opacification of surrounding alveoli (grey/white). It is almost always caused by a pathologic airspace/alveolar process, in which something other than air fills the alveoli.

 Air bronchograms will not be visible if the bronchi themselves are opacified (e.g. by fluid) and thus indicate patent proximal airways.

Air bronchograms that persist for weeks despite appropriate antimicrobial therapy should raise the suspicion of a neoplastic process. CT may be planned in such cases.

Also See

• CHEST X RAY INTERPRETATION

• CHEST X RAY PART 1- NORMAL ANATOMY AND ITS VARIANTS

• BASICS OF CHEST X RAY- PART 2 , EASY WAY TO INTERPRET CXR.

• BASICS OF CHEST X RAY PART 3- SYSTEMATIC APPROACH, SILHOUETTE SIGN AND HIDDEN AREAS IN CHEST XRAY

• BASICS OF CHEST X RAY-PART 4, THE HEART AND PERICARDIUM

• BASICS OF CHEST X RAY-PART 5, THE HILUM AND MEDIASTINUM

• BASICS OF CHEST X RAY PART-6, THE LUNGS, PLEURA AND THE CHEST WALL.

• BASICS OF HRCT INTERPRETATION

• BASICS OF HRCT INTERPRETATION-PART 2- RETICULAR PATTERN

• BASICS OF HRCT INTERPRETATION-PART 3- NODULAR PATTERN

• BASICS OF HRCT PART-4 , HIGH ATTENUATION PATTERN

• BASICS OF HRCT PART 5- LOW ATTENUATION PATTERN

• BASICS OF HRCT PART 6 - DISTRIBUTION PATTERN AND ADDITIONAL FEATURES

• BASICS OF HRCT PART 7 - DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS OF INTERSTITIAL LUNG DISEASE

• HRCT FINDINGS OF ATYPICAL ADENOMATOUS HYPERPLASIA.

• SARCOIDOSIS- CT FINDINGS

• MOUNIER KUHN SYNDROME

• AIR BRONCHOGRAM SIGN

• THE ‘DARK BRONCHUS’ SIGN

• THE RINGS !!!THE TRAMS!!!, CHEST X RAY FINDINGS IN BRONCHIECTASIS

• THE HRCT FINDINGS OF BRONCHIECTASIS.

• GRAND ROUNDS- CANNON BALL SECONDARIES AND PULMONARY METASTASIS...

• GRAND ROUNDS - OPAQUE HEMITHORAX.

• RADIOLOGY- CHEST X RAY SPOTTERS.

• CLINICAL CASE - GIVE YOUR DIAGNOSIS!!!

• SPOTTER : IDENTIFY THE RADIOLOGICAL SIGN IN CHEST X RAY 

• CHEST X RAY- IMPORTANCE OF DIAPHRAGM. THE DIAPHRAGM IS UNIQUE AND PROVIDES