The pattern of goblet cell hyperplasia in human airways

Three types of mucosal alterations were found in the large and small airways in eight surgically resected human lungs. These changes were linear depressions and the formation of furrows and diverticula. Goblet cell hyperplasia, mucus retention, and macrophages were frequently associated with these surface deformities, and inflammatory cells were found both in the mucosa and in the underlying bronchial wall. Linear depressions, furrows, and diverticula may be sequential and may persist in the lungs of a patient with or without causing symptoms.