Peribronchial cuffing, also referred to as peribronchial thickening or bronchial wall thickening is a radiographic

Radiography

Radiography is the use of X-rays to view a non-uniformly composed material such as the human body. By using the physical properties of the ray an image can be developed which displays areas of different density and composition....

 sign

Medical sign

A medical sign is an objective indication of some medical fact or characteristic that may be detected by a physician during a physical examination of a patient....

 which occurs when excess fluid or mucus

Mucus

In vertebrates, mucus is a slippery secretion produced by, and covering, mucous membranes. Mucous fluid is typically produced from mucous cells found in mucous glands. Mucous cells secrete products that are rich in glycoproteins and water. Mucous fluid may also originate from mixed glands, which...

 buildup in the small airway passages of the lung

Lung

The lung is the essential respiration organ in many air-breathing animals, including most tetrapods, a few fish and a few snails. In mammals and the more complex life forms, the two lungs are located near the backbone on either side of the heart...

 causes localized patches of atelectasis

Atelectasis

Atelectasis is defined as the collapse or closure of alveoli resulting in reduced or absent gas exchange. It may affect part or all of one lung. It is a condition where the alveoli are deflated, as distinct from pulmonary consolidation.It is a very common finding in chest x-rays and other...

 (lung collapse). This causes the area around the bronchus to appear more prominent on an xray.

Peribronchial cuffing is seen in a number of conditions including:

• bronchitis, acute
• asthma
  Asthma
  Asthma is the common chronic inflammatory disease of the airways characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and bronchospasm. Symptoms include wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath...
  
   following exercise or during an acute episode
• bronchopulmonary dysplasia
  Bronchopulmonary dysplasia
  Bronchopulmonary dysplasia is a chronic lung disorder that is most common among children who were born prematurely, with low birthweights and who received prolonged mechanical ventilation to treat respiratory distress syndrome...
  
  
• congestive heart failure
  Congestive heart failure
  Heart failure often called congestive heart failure is generally defined as the inability of the heart to supply sufficient blood flow to meet the needs of the body. Heart failure can cause a number of symptoms including shortness of breath, leg swelling, and exercise intolerance. The condition...
  
  
• cystic fibrosis
  Cystic fibrosis
  Cystic fibrosis is a recessive genetic disease affecting most critically the lungs, and also the pancreas, liver, and intestine...
  
  
• diffuse parenchymal lung disease
  Diffuse parenchymal lung disease
  Interstitial lung disease , also known as diffuse parenchymal lung disease , refers to a group of lung diseases affecting the interstitium ....
  
  
• Extreme exertion through physical exercise
• Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome
• human metapneumovirus
• Kawasaki disease
  Kawasaki disease
  Kawasaki disease , also known as Kawasaki syndrome, lymph node syndrome and mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome, is an autoimmune disease in which the medium-sized blood vessels throughout the body become inflamed. It is largely seen in children under five years of age...
  
  
• Lung cancer
  Lung cancer
  Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
  
  
• Pneumonia
  Pneumonia
  Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
  
  
• pulmonary edema
  Pulmonary edema
  Pulmonary edema , or oedema , is fluid accumulation in the air spaces and parenchyma of the lungs. It leads to impaired gas exchange and may cause respiratory failure...
  
  
• 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.