Vanishing Lung Syndrome and Lung Volume Reduction Surgery-A Case Report

Abstract

Development of multiple lung bullae [variously termed primary bullous disease of the lung, giant bullous emphysema (GBE), or vanishing lung syndrome (VLS)] is rare, and has been described in young male smokers. We presented a 4 1-year-old man with vanishing lung syndrome diagnosed via chest computed tomography (CT). He had a 22-year history of smoking 40 cigarettes a day, and had suffered from exertional dyspnea and productive cough with whitish sputum for 2 years. These symptoms had increased from one week ago. He was advised to stop smoking and received lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS). Post-operatively, significant improvements in dyspnea, spirometry values, lung volume measurement and chest radiography were observed. Three months postoperatively the patient was in good health and back at work. This case demonstrated that giant bullae can be successfully managed with surgical resection, and that their size can be determined by different techniques, including chest CT and lung volume measurements.