A case of pulmonary placental transmogrification

Pulmonary placental transmogrification is a rare lung lesion that microscopically resembles placenta with cystic spaces filled with papillary structures. Considered a histological variant of bullous emphysema, only 30 reported cases have been published in the world’s literature. We report a rare case of pulmonary placental transmogrification in a 72-year-old man, in whom the clinical presentation of the disease mimicked lung carcinoma. Histopathology of the surgically resected segment showed a complex bulla with squamous metaplasia and placental transmogrification. Whilst rare, pulmonary placental transmogrification must be ruled out in all patients presenting with unilateral bullous emphysema, without known risk factors.