Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics

Chronic Recurrent Aspiration

Etiology Repeated aspiration of even small quantities of gastric, nasal, or oral contents can lead to recurrent bronchitis or bronchiolitis, recurrent pneumonia, atelectasis, wheezing, cough, apnea, and/or laryngospasm. Pathologic outcomes include granulomatous inflammation, interstitial inflammation, fibrosis, lipoid pneumonia, and bronchiolitis…

Aspiration Syndromes

Aspiration Syndromes Aspiration of material that is foreign to the lower airway produces a varied clinical spectrum ranging from an asymptomatic condition to acute life-threatening events, such as occur with massive aspiration of gastric contents or hydrocarbon products. Other chapters…

Pulmonary Edema

Pulmonary edema is an abnormal fluid collection in the interstitium and air spaces of the lung resulting in oxygen desaturation, decreased lung compliance, and respiratory distress. The condition is common in the acutely ill child. Pathophysiology Although pulmonary edema is…

Congenital Disorders of the Lung

Pulmonary Agenesis and Aplasia Joshua A. Blatter Jonathan D. Finder Etiology and Pathology Pulmonary agenesis differs from hypoplasia in that agenesis entails the complete absence of a lung. Agenesis differs from aplasia by the absence of a bronchial stump or carina that…

Other Distal Airway Diseases

Bronchiolitis Obliterans Steven R. Boas Keywords Bronchiolitis obliterans Bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome Bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia Cryptogenic organizing pneumonia Epidemiology Bronchiolitis obliterans (BO) is a histopathologic diagnosis characterized by chronic obstructive lung disease of the bronchioles and smaller airways, resulting from an…

α 1 -Antitrypsin Deficiency and Emphysema

Homozygous deficiency of α 1 -antitrypsin (α 1 -AT) rarely produces lung disease in children, but it is an important cause of early-onset severe panacinar pulmonary emphysema in adults in the 3rd and 4th decades of life and a significant…

Emphysema and Overinflation

Pulmonary emphysema consists of distention of air spaces with irreversible disruption of the alveolar septa. It can involve part or all of a lung. Overinflation is distention with or without alveolar rupture and is often reversible. Compensatory overinflation can be…

Plastic Bronchitis

Plastic bronchitis is a rare condition characterized by recurrent episodes of airway obstruction secondary to the formation of large proteinaceous branching casts that take on the shape of and obstruct the tracheobronchial tree. It is not a single disease entity,…

Wheezing, Bronchiolitis, and Bronchitis

Wheezing in Infants: Bronchiolitis Samantha A. House Shawn L. Ralston Keywords Bronchiolitis Wheezing Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) General Pathophysiology of Wheezing in Infants Wheezing, the production of a musical continuous sound that originates in narrowed airways, is heard on expiration as a…

Neoplasms of the Larynx, Trachea, and Bronchi

Vocal Nodules Saied Ghadersohi James W. Schroeder Keywords Vocal nodules Vocal abuse Voice therapy Vocal nodules , which are not true neoplasms, are the most common cause of chronic hoarseness in children. Chronic vocal abuse or misuse (i.e., frequent yelling and screaming)…