ABSTRACT
Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is the most common form of chronic lung disease affecting children. The spectrum of the disease has changed since Northway (1) first described the severe chronic lung disease that developed in premature infants with hyaline membrane disease (HMD) who required mechanical ventilation and high inspired oxygen concentrations. Advances in perinatal and neonatal care, including prenatal glucocorticoid therapy, exogenous surfactant, and newer modes of mechanical ventilation, have resulted in increased survival of smaller and more immature infants and a consequent increase in the incidence and absolute number of children in whom BPD is diagnosed (2). Although data are available on the short-term pulmonary outcome of infants with BPD, less is known about the effect of either extreme prematurity or of early lung injury on long-term pulmonary function. This chapter will review the clinical presentation and evaluation of infants and children with BPD after the newborn period, including advantages and limitations of techniques to assess pulmonary function, and provide an overview of what is known about their short-and long-term pulmonary outcome.
