Bullous Emphysematous Lungs- A Case Report

Emphysema is a condition of the lungs characterized by an abnormal increase in the size of the airspaces distal to the terminal bronchiole. Bullous emphysema is where one or more thin-walled, air-containing spaces are conflated by ruptured pulmonary alveoli. These thin-walled air sacs in lung tissue termed as bullae have a tendency to burst. In the present study, emphysematous lungs were found in a male cadaver during dissection in the department of Anatomy at Gian Sagar Medical College, Banur, Patiala. The right and left lungs had multiple bullae ranging from 1.5–3 cm in diameter. In emphysematous lungs, the rupture of the bullae can cause symptoms of respiratory distress due to collapse of lung. The emphysematous lung can burden the heart causing heart-failure and sudden death.