Clinical spectrum of infantile lobar emphysema.

Infantile lobar emphysema in an uncommon disease affecting newborns and infants with varying degrees of respiratory distress, evidence of lobar overaeration, mediastinal shift, and herniation. Congenital malformations of the bronchi and alveoli and extrinsic compression by vessels and cysts account for less than 50% of these cases. All segments of the upper and middle lobe may be involved, but the major overexpansion occurs in the anterior segment. Respiratory distress may be absent, mild, or severe, and the condition may be acutely progressive, acutely reverisble, chronic, or recurrent. This symptom complex is the result of multiple factors requiring investigation prior to definitive operation.