Lung
Other interstitial pneumonitis / fibrosis
Honeycomb lung
Author: Elliot Weisenberg, M.D.
Topic Completed: 1 September 2011
Minor changes: 11 August 2020
Copyright: 2003-2021, PathologyOutlines.com, Inc.
PubMed search: honeycomb lung [title]
Table of Contents
Definition / general | Gross description | Gross images | Microscopic (histologic) descriptionCite this page: Weisenberg E. Honeycomb lung. PathologyOutlines.com website. https://www.pathologyoutlines.com/topic/lungnontumorhoneycomb.html. Accessed January 24th, 2021.
Definition / general
- Final common pathway of various processes causing chronic interstitial fibrosis
- Progressive shortness of breath, severe interstitial fibrosis, diffuse cystic changes with blebs and subsequent pneumothorax and shrunken lungs (restrictive lung disease) with elevation of diaphragm
Gross description
- Stiff, spongy and fibrotic lungs with cystic changes
Gross images
Images hosted on other servers:
Honeycomb lung
Microscopic (histologic) description
- Dense interstitial and peribronchial fibrosis and smooth muscle
- Reduced alveolar capillaries
- Marked medial hyperplasia of pulmonary arteries and arterioles
- Cystically dilated alveoli
- May have mucinous metaplasia of lining epithelium with atypia
