Clinical findings in middle lobe syndrome and other processes of pulmonary shrinkage in children (atelectasis syndrome).

Processes of atelectasis and pulmonary shrinkage are not confined to the right middle lobe. This fact is illustrated by case reports of five of our nine such patients. All cases shared common clinical and morphologic similarities: congenital malformations of the bronchial skeleton, compression, and chronic inflammation produce comparable pulmonary morphology that always includes atelectasis. Atelectasic processes of longer duration require surgical resection; this led to cures in all the authors' patients.