Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia

  • Etiology: lung disease caused by preterm birth and lung development in extrauterine environment, premature infants with respiratory distress syndrome who are chronically ventilated for more than 30 days
  • Imaging: hyperexpanded lungs due to emphysematous blebs with interstitial scarrng, CXR findings normalize over very long-term, CT findings never normalize
  • Clinical: is the more severe phenotype of a continuum of lung disease caused by extrauterine development due to preterm birth, more severe clinical course than chronic lung disease

Radiology Cases of Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia

CXR of bronchopulmonary dysplasia
CXR AP+lateral shows bilaterally increased interstitial lung markings and increased lung volumes along with emphysematous blebs in the left upper, left lower and right lower lobes.
CXR and CT of bronchopulmonary dysplasia
CXR (above) shows hyperexpansion and fine interstitial infiltrates. Axial CT without contrast of the chest (below) shows diffuse alveolar and interstitial lung disease bilaterally that is more prominent in the perihilar regions.
Chest CT of bronchopulmonary dysplasia
Coronal CT without contrast of the lungs shows bilaterally increased interstitial lung markings and increased lung volumes along with an emphysematous bleb in the left lower lobe.