Diffuse panbronchiolitis: correlation of high-resolution CT and pathologic findings.

Diffuse panbronchiolitis (DPB) is characterized by chronic airflow limitation and airway inflammation with bronchiolar lesions. Chest radiographs of patients with DPB usually show small nodular shadows throughout both lungs. The authors investigated the nature and pathogenesis of the radiologic features of DPB by correlating high-resolution computed tomographic (HRCT) findings with histopathologic features. The HRCT images of nine patients with DPB were compared with the observations made with inflated lung specimens. The HRCT findings of DPB included centrilobularly distributed, small rounded areas of attenuation; branched linear areas of attenuation, contiguous with the small rounded areas; dilated airways with thick walls, also common outside secondary pulmonary lobules; and decreased lung attenuation in peripheral areas due to air trapping caused by bronchiolar narrowing in the subpleural zones. The authors believe that HRCT best demonstrates this characteristic location of small rounded areas of attenuation associated with dilated airways.