Anatomy.—Bronchioles are non–cartilage-containing airways. Terminal bronchioles are the most distal of the purely conducting airways; they give rise to respiratory bronchioles, from which the alveoli arise and permit gas exchange. Respiratory bronchioles branch into multiple alveolar ducts (30). Radiographs and CT scans.—Bronchioles are not identifiable in healthy individuals, because the bronchiolar walls are too thin (4). In inflammatory small-airways disease, however, thickened or plugged bronchioles may be seen as a nodular pattern on a chest radiograph or as a tree-in-bud pattern on CT scans. [Fleischner Society]

http://www.radlex.org/RID/RID1298

Anatomy.—Bronchioles are non–cartilage-containing airways. Terminal bronchioles are the most distal of the purely conducting airways; they give rise to respiratory bronchioles, from which the alveoli arise and permit gas exchange. Respiratory bronchioles branch into multiple alveolar ducts (30). Radiographs and CT scans.—Bronchioles are not identifiable in healthy individuals, because the bronchiolar walls are too thin (4). In inflammatory small-airways disease, however, thickened or plugged bronchioles may be seen as a nodular pattern on a chest radiograph or as a tree-in-bud pattern on CT scans. [Fleischner Society]

RID1298

bronchiole

RID1:RID1298

bronchiole

http://www.radlex.org/RID/RID34917