Direct magnification radiography of the chest in diffuse pulmonary disease

The technique of direct magnification radiography of the lung in diffuse lung disease is very simple to perform. It is probably of value in selected cases where there is clinical suspicion of diffuse lung disease and when the plain radiograph is either normal or inconclusive. It is speculated that the air bronchiologram pattern seen on these radiographs is due to peribronchiolar parenchymal lung disease involving the parenchymal or acinar interstitial space with focal intra-alveolar involvement. An attempt to correlate these morphologic patterns with various pulmonary diseases is also stressed.