This type of atelectasis occurs due to blockage of the airway and results in collapse of the distal lung tissue. What type is this?

This type of atelectasis occurs due to blockage of the airway and results in collapse of the distal lung tissue. What type is this?

• A. Compression
• B. Contraction
• C. Adhesive
• D. Resorption

Answer: (D)

The type of atelectasis described in the question is characterized by a blockage of the airway that leads to the collapse of distal lung tissue. This condition is recognized as resorption atelectasis. It occurs when an obstruction, such as mucus or a foreign body, prevents air from reaching the alveoli of a section of the lung. As the air that is already present in those alveoli gets absorbed into the bloodstream without being replenished, it results in the collapse of the lung tissue in that area. This process highlights the importance of maintaining open airways and ensuring ventilation to prevent this type of atelectasis. Compression atelectasis, on the other hand, results from external pressure on the lung, such as from a mass or fluid accumulation in the pleural space, while contraction atelectasis is linked to fibrosis and lung scarring. Adhesive atelectasis, typically seen in conditions like ARDS, involves surfactant deficiency affecting alveolar stability. Each of these types presents under different circumstances, but resorption clearly corresponds to airway blockage and subsequent lung tissue collapse.

The type of atelectasis described in the question is characterized by a blockage of the airway that leads to the collapse of distal lung tissue. This condition is recognized as resorption atelectasis. It occurs when an obstruction, such as mucus or a foreign body, prevents air from reaching the alveoli of a section of the lung. As the air that is already present in those alveoli gets absorbed into the bloodstream without being replenished, it results in the collapse of the lung tissue in that area. This process highlights the importance of maintaining open airways and ensuring ventilation to prevent this type of atelectasis.

Compression atelectasis, on the other hand, results from external pressure on the lung, such as from a mass or fluid accumulation in the pleural space, while contraction atelectasis is linked to fibrosis and lung scarring. Adhesive atelectasis, typically seen in conditions like ARDS, involves surfactant deficiency affecting alveolar stability. Each of these types presents under different circumstances, but resorption clearly corresponds to airway blockage and subsequent lung tissue collapse.