Management of congenital lobar overinflation in an adult

Congenital lobar overinflation is characterized by disruption of bronchopulmonary development which produces lobar or segmental bronchial abnormalities and overinflation of normal lung tissue. This is a 44-year old man, never smoker, who presents dyspnea every time he arrived in highlands, marked decreased breathing sounds and hyperresonance in the left hemithorax. Imaging studies suggested left upper lobe overinflation. The affected area was resected resulting in symptoms improvement. Accepted treatment is resection, however conservative management has been proposed for asymptomatic patients because cases of spontaneous improvement have been described. We recommend close monitoring and resection if symptoms or overinflation progress.