key: cord-0912404-bo425duq
authors: Hamad, Abdel-Mohsen M; El-Saka, Hala A
title: Is it a bulla or a pneumatocele?
date: 2021-01-22
journal: Eur J Cardiothorac Surg
DOI: 10.1093/ejcts/ezaa481
sha: 0968c72b8dc99ce4f5fe76a5952855813a51366a
doc_id: 912404
cord_uid: bo425duq

nan

In our patient, we had the opportunity to surgically remove the roof of the air space cyst; and histopathologic examination of the resected material showed thin pieces of parenchymal tissue with significant fibrosis, inflammatory cell infiltration, and marked intra alveolar haemorrhage. This picture is consistent with pneumatocele nature.

Previous experience demonstrated that the majority of pneumatocele regress in size and resolve spontaneously [5] . This is not the situation with bullae, which tend to increase in size with time. We think that cystic air spaces that develop during pulmonary infectious processes like COVID-19 should be termed as pneumatoceles rather than bullae.

Spontaneous pneumothorax and subpleural bullae in a patient with COVID-19: a 92-day observation

Surgical pathology of bullae with and without pneumothorax

Pulmonary pneumatocele: pathology and pathogenesis

Subpleural emphysema complicating staphylococcal and other pneumonias

large-sized neonatal pneumatoceles: the wait-and-see strategy

Conflict of interest: none declared.