UNCOMMON

PULMONARY
PROBLEMS IN THE
NEWBORN
Pulmonary Agenesis and
Hypoplasia
• Unilateral pulmonary hypoplasia or agenesis in infants is often
asymptomatic and only found incidentally when a chest radiograph is
obtained for some other condition, such as suspected pneumonia

• Primary hypoplasia or agenesis of a lung is thought to result from a

deficiency or absence of the normal mesenchyme that surrounds the
branching airway.

• Right-sided pulmonary agenesis carries a higher morbidity and mortality

than a leftsided
• Persistent pulmonary hypertension (PPHN, PFC) is a serious and often
life-threatening accompanimentof pulmonary hypoplasi
Lymphangiectasia
• This uncommon condition, when symptomatic in the newborn,
usually presents with severe respiratory distress and cyanosis

• a diffuse coarsely nodular or reticular appearance of the lungs

• Lymphangiectasia is divided into three etiologic types

• An isolated pulmonary lymphatic anomaly
• Cardiac-associated lymphangiec- tasia
• Associated with generalized lymphatic abnormalities
Congenital Alveolar Proteinosis
• Alveolar proteinosis in infants has been shown to be most commonly
due to a congen- ital absence or deficiency of the B protein
component of surfactant.l

• The lungs may initially be clear radio- graphically or exhibit mild

granularity
Thoracic Cage Abnormality

Several categories of thoracic cage abnormality may be recognized as

producing respiratory problems:
• Neuromuscular abnormalities
• Skeletal dysplasias
• Chest wall deformity in conditions