o G E EINFLATION OF A collapsed lung in some cases may lead to pulmonary edema of the reexpanded lung. This atrogenic complication, termed “reexpansion pulmonary dema” (RPE), may occur after the treatment of a lung that has ollapsed because of a pneumothorax or pleural effusion. The rst known case of RPE occurred in 1853, when 3 L of pleural uid were drained by Pinault.1 The first well-described case as by Foucart in 1875.2 These early cases all followed drainge of large amounts of pleural fluid. At the turn of the century, t had been recommended to treat pleural effusions with thoraentesis, using high amounts of suction.3 The first report of a atient who developed RPE after treatment for a totally colapsed lung because of pneumothorax was by Carlson4 in 1958. eexpansion pulmonary edema may occur in the periopertive setting, which may complicate an anesthetic.5 In that ase, more than 3 L of pleural fluid were removed intraopratively during a thoracotomy. The lung, which had been hronically collapsed because of a malignant pleural effuion, was reexpanded intraoperatively after a subtotal pleuectomy. The pulmonary edema occurred within 1 hour of ung reexpansion but cleared over the next 2 to 3 hours with ositive-pressure ventilation. The purpose of this review is o discuss the incidence, clinical features, pathophysiology, nd management of the pulmonary edema that may occur fter reexpansion of a collapsed lung.