Tram tracks or tram-track signs are

medical sign Signs and symptoms are the observed or detectable signs, and experienced symptoms of an illness, injury, or condition. A sign for example may be a higher or lower temperature than normal, raised or lowered blood pressure or an abnormality showin ...

s that bear some resemblance to

tramway track Tramway track is used on tramways or light rail operations. Grooved rails (or girder rails) are often used to provide a protective flangeway in the trackwork in city streets. Like standard rail tracks, tram tracks consist of two parallel st ...

Pulmonology

When found in the

lung The lungs are the primary organs of the respiratory system in humans and most other animals, including some snails and a small number of fish. In mammals and most other vertebrates, two lungs are located near the backbone on either side of t ...

s, tram tracks are

radiologic sign A radiologic sign is an objective indication of some medical fact (that is, a medical sign) that is detected by a physician during radiologic examination with medical imaging (for example, via an X-ray, CT scan, MRI scan, or sonographic scan). ...

s that are usually accompanied by

pulmonary edema Pulmonary edema, also known as pulmonary congestion, is excessive edema, liquid accumulation in the parenchyma, tissue and pulmonary alveolus, air spaces (usually alveoli) of the lungs. It leads to impaired gas exchange and may cause hypoxemia an ...

in cases of

congestive heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome, a group of signs and symptoms caused by an impairment of the heart's blood pumping function. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, a ...

and

bronchiectasis Bronchiectasis is a disease in which there is permanent enlargement of parts of the bronchi, airways of the lung. Symptoms typically include a chronic cough with sputum, mucus production. Other symptoms include shortness of breath, hemoptysis, co ...

. Tram tracks are caused by bronchial wall thickening, and can be detected on a lateral

chest X-ray A chest radiograph, called a chest X-ray (CXR), or chest film, is a projection radiograph of the chest used to diagnose conditions affecting the chest, its contents, and nearby structures. Chest radiographs are the most common film taken in med ...

.Gunderman RB. ''Essential radiology.'' 2nd ed. Thieme: New York.

Nephrology

The term "tram tracks" is also used to describe the

basement membrane The basement membrane is a thin, pliable sheet-like type of extracellular matrix that provides cell and tissue support and acts as a platform for complex signalling. The basement membrane sits between Epithelium, epithelial tissues including mesot ...

duplication found on light microscopy that is characteristic of

membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis Membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (MPGN) is a type of glomerulonephritis caused by deposits in the kidney glomerular mesangium and basement membrane ( GBM) thickening, activating complement and damaging the glomeruli. MPGN accounts for appr ...

(MPGN) type I. (It is less commonly associated with types II and III.)

Neurology

The term has also been used to describe findings associated with

optic nerve sheath meningioma Optic nerve sheath meningiomas (ONSM) are rare benign tumors of the optic nerve. 60–70% of cases occur in middle age females, and is more common in older adults (mean age 44.7 years). It is also seen in children, but this is rare. The tumors ...

. Tram track-shaped calcifications in the

cerebral cortex The cerebral cortex, also known as the cerebral mantle, is the outer layer of neural tissue of the cerebrum of the brain in humans and other mammals. The cerebral cortex mostly consists of the six-layered neocortex, with just 10% consisting of ...

indicate

Sturge–Weber syndrome Sturge–Weber syndrome, sometimes referred to as encephalotrigeminal angiomatosis, is a rare congenital neurological and skin disorder. It is one of the phakomatoses and is often associated with port-wine stains of the face, glaucoma, seizures, i ...

. where intracranial gyriform calcification (brain imaging) seen mostly in occipital and posterior parietal/temporal lobe ;this syndrome consists triad of port wine stain,seizure(usually focal but may become generalized),eye manifestation(e.g. glaucoma).

Mammary glands

Tram track appearance in mammography/USG indicates Duct Ectasia.

References

Nephrology Respiratory diseases Radiologic signs {{med-sign-stub