INTRAPULMONARY AIRWAYS According to the distribution of cartilage, airways are divided into bronchi and bronchioles. Bronchi have cartilage plates as discussed earlier. Bronchioles are distal to the bronchi beyond the last plate of cartilage and proximal to the alveolar region. Cartilage plates become sparser toward the periphery of the lung, and in the last generations of bronchi, plates are found only at the points of branching. The large bronchi have enough inherent rigidity to sustain…
