ABSTRACT
Pulmonary interstitial emphysema (PIE) is a well-recognized severe complication of
neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). However, its occurence under spontaneous
breathing conditions has been described rarely. We present a case of PIE of the left
upper lung lobe in an extremely low birth weight infant. Recurrent episodes of spontaneous
pneumothorax led to the diagnosis, which was confirmed by histopathology. Plain chest
X-ray did not show typical signs of PIE, whereas extra-alveolar air accumulation could
be visualized by helical computed tomography (CT)-scan. We stress the role of predispositional
factors increasing the risk of PIE development in spontaneous breathing preterm infants.
KEYWORDS
Cystic lung disease - preterm infant - neonatal respiratory distress syndrome - pulmonary
interstitial emphysema