An Enormous Compensatory Hyperinflated Lung After Pneumonectomy: Pseudo-horseshoe Lung

Abstract

Pneumonectomy causes a number of anatomical changes within the thoracic cavity to improve the diffusion capacity of the remaining lung. A 41-year-old female was admitted with the complaints of cough and purulent sputum for the last two weeks. Her past medical history revealed that she underwent left pneumonectomy for bronchiectasis at the age of 10 due to massive hemoptysis. Massive compensatory hyperinflation of the right lung, which was herniated anteriorly across the midline, and extreme mediastinal shift were observed in computed tomography which is called pseudo-horseshoe lung. Although post-pneumonectomy lung compensation can diminish by advanced age, clinicians should be aware that it can be observed in adult patients who had pneumonectomy at early ages.