Swyer-James syndrome consists of an abnormal radiolucency of one lung or lobe, secondary to obliterative bronchiolitis with distal air trapping. The etiology of the bronchiolar inflammatory process is quite diverse. The syndrome will simulate the presence of a foreign body in the bronchial tree, and the patients will usually undergo bronchoscopy with that presumptive diagnosis. Two cases are presented and the pathogenesis, clinical picture, and differential diagnosis are outlined. The separation of this condition from hypoplasia of the pulmonary artery is discussed.
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