Bullous emphysema

 

 

Three photos of emphysematous bullae. Bullae can develop in the subpleural region in any type of emphysema. These

large air-containing spaces can be very thin-walled. In paraseptal emphysema, involvement is most striking near the pleura,

often leading to spontaneous pneumothorax in young persons when a bleb ruptures. Some regard the term bleb as

synonymous with bulla but others limit the use of the term bullae to lesions larger than 1 cm in diameter.

 

From the slide collection of the late Dr. Charles Kuhn

 

 

1 minute clinical correlation

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