Increased Pulmonary Line Markings

CLINICAL DIAGNOSTIC MANUAL

Increased pulmonary line markings on a chest X-ray indicate greater visibility of linear structures in the lung, such as interlobular septa and bronchial walls.

This finding can result from various pathologies causing thickening, inflammation, or fibrosis of lung tissue. Identifying the underlying cause is essential for appropriate patient management, as some conditions may have a chronic and progressive course.

Pathology	Clinical Symptoms and Signs	Suspected Diagnosis	Confirmatory Diagnosis
Pulmonary fibrosis	Progressive dyspnoea, dry cough, fatigue, crackles on auscultation	History of chronic respiratory symptoms	Chest X-ray, high-resolution CT, pulmonary function tests, lung biopsy
Interstitial fluid	Dyspnoea, orthopnoea, peripheral oedema, crackles on auscultation	History of heart failure, symptoms of congestion	Chest X-ray, chest CT, echocardiogram, arterial blood gas analysis
Lymphangitic carcinomatosis	Progressive dyspnoea, cough, haemoptysis, weight loss, symptoms of primary cancer	History of known cancer, respiratory symptoms	Chest X-ray, chest CT, lung biopsy, PET scan
Bronchiectasis	Chronic productive cough, purulent sputum, haemoptysis, recurrent respiratory infections	History of recurrent respiratory infections, chronic symptoms	Chest X-ray, high-resolution chest CT, pulmonary function tests, bronchoscopy