Congenital Lobar Emphysema in a 17-Day-Old Male Neonate: The Plain Radiographic Features and a Case Report

Congenital lobar emphysema (CLE) is a rare respiratory disorder which allows air to enter the lungs but can’t escape causing over-inflation of the lobes of the lung. This condition (CLE) is commonly detected in the newborn or young infants but some cases are diagnosed in adulthood. Congenital lobar emphysema is a rare congenital malformation with a prevalence of 1 in 20,000 to 1 in 30, 000, and more prevalent in males, with a male to female ratio of about 3:1. This is a 17 day old male neonate that presented with respiratory difficulty and .had a supine chest radiograph that showed an overinflated left lung field more on the upper and middle zones with flattening of the left hemi diaphragm, marked shift of the heart and mediastinum to the right with some degree of loss of volume involving the right lung. We report the radiographic findings of this case due the rare nature of congenital lobar emphysema.

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia in extremely premature infant with congenital lobar emphysema: a case report

Background Congenital lobar emphysema (CLE) is a congenital pulmonary cystic disease, characterized by overinflation of the pulmonary lobe and compression of the surrounding areas. Most patients with symptoms need an urgent surgical intervention. Caution and alertness for CLE is required in cases of local emphysema on chest X-ray images of extremely premature infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). Case presentation Here, we report a case of premature infant with 27 + 4 weeks of gestational age who suddenly presented with severe respiratory distress at 60 days after birth. Chest X-ray and computed tomography (CT) indicated emphysema in the middle lobe of the right lung. The diagnosis of CLE was confirmed by histopathological examinations. Conclusions Although extremely premature infants have high-risk factors of bronchopulmonary dysplasia due to their small gestational age, alertness for CLE is necessary if local emphysema is present. Timely pulmonary CT scan and surgical interventions should be performed to avoid the delay of the diagnosis and treatment.

Congenital Lobar Emphysema: Perioperative Evaluation and Management

Background: Congenital lobar emphysema (CLE) is a lung malformation characterized by overdistension and air trapping in the affected lobe. It is one of the causes of neonatal and infantile respiratory distress. This study aimed to evaluate our experience regarding perioperative and surgical management in children with CLE. Methods: A retrospective observational study was done for all CLE patients who underwent surgery at Menoufia University Hospital. Perioperative data collected included demographic, clinical, and radiological findings, as well as operative and postoperative data. Results: We included 30 neonates and infants who suffered from CLE between January 2013 and December 2020; the mean age was 111.43 ± 65.19 days, and 21 were males. All cases presented with respiratory distress; 19 had cyanosis, and 15 had recurrent pneumonia and fever. Plain chest x-ray and computed tomography (CT) revealed emphysema in all cases. Lobectomy was done in all cases; the mean age at surgery was 147.58 ± 81.49 days. Postoperative complications occurred in 5 patients, and 2 of them needed mechanical ventilation. The follow-up duration ranged from 3 months to 1 year (except 1 case lost to follow-up after 3 months), and all patients were doing well. Conclusion: CLE is a rare bronchopulmonary malformation that requires a high index of clinical suspicion, especially in persistent and recurrent infantile respiratory distress. Chest CT is the most useful diagnostic modality. Early management of CLE improves outcome and prevents life-threatening complications. Surgical management is the treatment of choice in our center, without recorded mortality.

Surgical management of congenital lobar emphysema associated with CHD

Congenital lobar emphysema is often associated with CHD in early infancy; however, the surgical strategy for this condition is still controversial. We report three successful cases of emphysematous lung lobectomy before the surgical repair of associated CHD. Aggressive lobectomy preceding cardiac interventions is advised when the management of congenital lobar emphysema is difficult.

Flexible Bronchoscopy Findings in Children with Congenital Lobar Emphysema: 8-Year Data from a Single Center Study

Introduction:Congenital lobar emphysema (CLE) is a rare developmental lung malformation that involves the hyperaeration of one or more lung lobes due to partial obstruction and occurs at a rate of 1/20,000–30,000 live births.Here,we aimed to retrospectively examine the clinical, radiological, and bronchoscopy findings of patients with CLE who were diagnosed and treated with surgical or conservative approaches in our clinic to compare our results with those in the literature. Method:We examined the clinical, and radiological data and FB findings of the patients with CLE aged 0–18 years at our center between 2013 and 2020.We also examined the symptoms and findings recorded during the patients’ follow-up. Results:.The median age of 20 patients with CLE at diagnosis was 3.2 years (range, 1 day–17 years).Respiratory distress and mediastinal shift were more prominent in the patients who underwent surgery than the patients who were followed up conservatively and diagnosed at an early age (p = 0.001, p = 0.049, p = 0.001, respectively). Discussion: In line with studies in the literature, the pulmonary symptoms and CLE-related imaging findings in our study regressed during the conservative follow-up.We recommend clinicians consider performing a detailed anamnesis for patients with unresolved respiratory symptoms and unilateral or bilateral increased ventilation,along with appropriate imaging tests and examinations, and should consider CLE in the diagnosis.

Surgical palliation for an infant with hypoplastic left heart syndrome and congenital lobar emphysema: a case report

Hypoplastic left heart syndrome is a form of congenital heart disease that is associated with significant lifelong morbidity and mortality. Although rarely reported together, the prognosis for patients with hypoplastic left heart syndrome and congenital anomalies of the airway or lung, such as congenital diaphragmatic hernia, has been shown to be very poor. The outcomes for patients with hypoplastic left heart syndrome and congenital lobar emphysema specifically is currently unknown. Reported herein is the first case of a child with a rare combination of hypoplastic left heart syndrome and congenital lobar emphysema, and a discussion of his presentation, diagnosis, management and outcome to date.