Emphysematous bullae are closed air containing spaces in lung parenchyma that may severely compromise lung function in patients of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We describe a simple and minimally invasive procedure to decompress a large emphysematous bullae in a patient with advanced COPD and high surgical risk. Transthoracic decompression of the bulla was accomplished under sho...

Large lung bullae are a rare manifestation of pulmonary sarcoidosis. Of three patients with this complication, all had pulmonary infiltrates at presentation and two had bilateral hilar adenopathy. Hypercalcaemia developed during the course of the illness in all three patients. In each case the bullae had developed within four years of the diagnosis of sarcoidosis. In one woman a bulla resolved ...

A patient with pulmonary bullae died of massive hemoptysis. At autopsy a hole was observed in the aortic wall. A microscopic examination indicated small Aspergillus lesions in pulmonary bullae and extensive necrotic lesions with Aspergillus hyphae in the media of the thoracic aorta. These findings led to a diagnosis of invasive aspergillosis in the aortic arch. This is a rare case in which Aspe...

Bullous pemphigoid is an autoimmune disease of the skin characterized by large, tense bullae resulting in significant morbidity in affected individuals. The diagnosis of bullous pemphigoid may present challenges due to clinical similarities with various other bullous eruptions. Frequently, epidemiological features can provide clues to the diagnosis of bullous pemphigoid, with histologic analysi...

Bornhovd et al postulated persistence of parasites as cause of Th2 cells activation with increased IL5 and eosinophils secretion of proteolytic enzymes near BMZ (basement membrane zone) producing bullae formation. The exact mechanism for bullae formation is not known and further studies need to be done to explain the pathogenesis of bullous scabies. In a patient with itchy, vesiculobullous lesi...

We have performed 253 thoracotomies among a total of 334 cases of spontaneous pneumothorax during the past 17 years, subjecting 126 of these surgical cases to histologic examination by light microscope. Recently, we have classified 54 emphysematous bullae as Reid type 1 or 2 and have examined these, as well as giant bullae, by scanning electron microscope. This revealed exterior surface differe...

AIM To investigate the possible connection of Poland's syndrome with the presence of lung bullae and, thus, with an increased risk for recurrent pneumothorax. PATIENTS-METHODS Two male patients, aged 19 and 21 years respectively were submitted to our department after their second incident of pneumothorax. Both had Poland's syndrome (unilaterally hypoplastic chest wall with pectoralis major mu...