Elementary Lesions
Elementary Lesions
Honeycomb change
Definition
-
Irreversible terminal destruction of the lung (end stage)
Characteristics
-
Enlarged pulmonary alveolar cavities: clustered cystic airspaces
-
Thick, fibrous walls
-
At least partially lined by bronchiolar epithelium
-
Contents: mucin and/or inflammatory cells: neutrophils, macrophages, and lymphocytes
Diagnostic Orientation
-
Location
-
lower lobes
-
-
Alveolar epithelium
-
Absent
-
sometimes replaced by bronchiolar epithelium when the adjacent bronchiolar lining slides in. This process is known as bronchial epithelial metaplasia.
-
1. Honeycomb change
![honeycombchange](/dk/hrct/sites/default/files/2022-04/Honeycombchange%402x.jpg)
2. Subpleural honeycombing cysts
![cysts](/dk/hrct/sites/default/files/2022-04/Subpleuralhoneycombingcysts%402x.jpg)
3. Mucin filled alveolar cysts deliminated by thick fibrotic walls
![group-11](/dk/hrct/sites/default/files/2022-04/group-11%402x.jpg)
4. Alveolar cysts with thick fibrotic walls
![fibroticwalls](/dk/hrct/sites/default/files/2022-04/fibroticwalls%402x.jpg)
5. Mucin filled alveolar cysts
![alvaolarcsts](/dk/hrct/sites/default/files/2022-04/alveolarcysts%402x.jpg)
6. Honeycombing cysts
![group-5](/dk/hrct/sites/default/files/2022-04/group-5-copy-8%403x.jpg)
Intraluminal mucin containing inflammatory cells. Chronic lymphocytic inflammation in the alveolar walls.
7. Alveolar cysts
![group-5](/dk/hrct/sites/default/files/2022-04/group-5-copy-8%403x.jpg)
Pulmonary alveolar cyst partially lined by pseudo-stratified, ciliated respiratory epithelium.