Pneumatosis pulmonalis: a complication of the idiopathic respiratory distress syndrome.

Interstitial emphysema of the lung is a well-recognized complication of the idiopathic respiratory distress syndrome. Its incidence has increased with the recent more aggressive therapy for this disease, and persistence of the emphysema in a large number of patients has been observed. This report describes the clinical complications, changes in the roentgenographic pattern, and, particularly, the characteristic morphologic findings in these patients, which delineate persistent pulmonary emphysema as a distinct entity.