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Atelectasis
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Atelectasis is the collapse of part of the lung: the smallest airways close and air stops getting in there. It is reversible, meaning that the tissue can expand again.
Whatever type it is, obstructive or nonobstructive, it comes about through three mechanisms, alone or combined: because pressure rises in the pleura, the double membrane that wraps the lung; because pressure drops inside the alveolus, the little sac where air is exchanged; or because surfactant, the substance that coats those sacs on the inside and keeps them from sticking together as they empty, fails.
A balloon empties two ways: its neck gets plugged and the air inside drains out, or something squeezes it from outside. It works the same way here: in obstructive atelectasis something blocks the airway and the air trapped beyond it is reabsorbed; and in compression atelectasis, outside pressure crushes the lung.
In brief
Atelectasis is the partial or complete, and reversible, collapse of the small airways.
Whether obstructive or nonobstructive, it arises through three mechanisms: increased pleural pressure, low alveolar pressure, and surfactant impairment.
In the obstructive form, the air left beyond the obstruction is reabsorbed; in compression atelectasis, outside pressure crushes the lung.
A balloon empties two ways: its neck gets plugged and the air inside drains out, or something squeezes it from outside.
Sources (1)
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, StatPearls PublishingAtelectasis, StatPearlsPublished
This page explains the topic in general terms; it does not tell anyone what treatment to follow.
Updated