[Surfactant--treatment of complete lobar atelectasis after exacerbation of bronchial asthma by infection].

Dysfunction of airway surfactant is suggested as an important factor contributing to the pathogenesis of bronchoconstriction of patients with asthma. We report the case of a 59-year-old female who had an infect-exacerbation of her asthma complicated by a complete collapse of the left lower lung lobe. Only the local application of 150 mg of bovine surfactant resulted in a complete reexpansion of the lobe. Local therapy with replacement of surfactant may be a promising therapeutic approach in treatment of forms of atelectasis, which depend on a dysfunction or disturbed homeostasis of surfactant.