Bronchiolitis obliterans complicating a pneumothorax after Stevens-Johnson syndrome induced by lamotrigine

Bronchiolitis obliterans (BO) was defined as a nonreversible obstructive lung disease in which the bronchioles are always compressed and narrowed by fibrosis or inflammation. In the severe event of lung collapse after BO, surgical intervention is often recommended, and conservative therapy is thought to be ineffective. Here, we report the case of a 9-year old girl clinically diagnosed as having bronchiolitis obliterans with abrupt occlusion of the right B4b bronchus. After a lamotrigine-induced Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) occurred, she presented with total collapse of the right lung on admission, which was subsequently complicated by a pneumothorax during conservative treatment, but with the re-expansion of the right upper lobe after intervention. The case indicates the possibility of reversing pulmonary atelectasis in BO. Thus, surgery may not be necessary.