Tree-in-Bud
Tree-in-bud is a pattern seen on chest CT where small airways and their associated tiny lung sacs appear as branching, budded shapes — typically a sign of infection or inflammation in the small airways.
When to get help quickly: Urgent review is important with high fever, severe breathlessness, low oxygen, or known immune compromise.
Common symptoms
The pattern itself is an imaging finding; the underlying cause may produce cough (sometimes with sputum), fever, breathlessness, or chest discomfort.
When imaging helps
Imaging shows the pattern's distribution, which helps narrow the cause — bacterial infection, tuberculosis, atypical infections, or chronic small airway disease.
What radiology does
High-resolution CT of the chest is the test that shows the pattern best.
What usually happens next
Treatment targets the underlying cause — antibiotics for bacterial infection, anti-tuberculous therapy when TB is confirmed, and specialist care for atypical infections or chronic small airway disease.
Seen this on your report?
Your doctor or the radiologist who wrote it can tell you what it means for you.