CONGENITAL LOBAR EMPHYSEMA MIMICKING PNEUMOTHORAX IN A 6-MONTH-OLD INFANT WITH ACUTE RESPIRATORY DISTRESS: A CASE REPORT

Congenital lobar emphysema (CLE), increasingly referred to as congenital lobar overinflation, is a rare congenital lung malformation characterized by abnormal hyperinflation of a pulmonary lobe. Despite the term emphysema,the condition is not primarily a destructive alveolar diseaseInstead, the affected lobe becomes progressively overdistended, compressing adjacent normal lung parenchyma and potentially causing mediastinal shift,respiratory distress, and impaired ventilation [1,2].The mechanism is most often related to a ball-valve effect caused by intrins Ic bro nchial abnormality, such as deficient bronchial cartilage, bronchomalacia, mucosal folds,or bronchial stenosis. Extrinsic bronchial compression by vascular structures or mediastinal lesions may also occur, although in many patients no precise cause is identified [1-3]. CLE usually prese nts in the first months of life with tachypnea, retractions, wheezing, cyanosis, poor feeding, or recurrent respiratory infections. Severe cases can present as acute respiratory emergencies [1,4].