A rare cause of respiratory distress in a newborn

Abstract

Giant unilateral pulmonary interstitial emphysema is a rare pathology related to a history of prematurity and exposure to high ventilatory parameters. We present the case of a full-term newborn with a history of meconium aspiration syndrome. The diagnosis was made by means of characteristic tomographic images. The patient received conservative treatment consisting of selective monobronchial intubation of the healthy lung, showing clinical and radiological improvement of the lesions. It is recommended to consider giant unilateral pulmonary interstitial emphysema in the differential diagnosis of causes of air leak syndrome in full-term patients with a history of meconium aspiration syndrome.