Incomplete expansion or collapse of a previously inflated lung is called what?

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Incomplete expansion or collapse of a previously inflated lung is called atelectasis. This term describes when alveoli or portions of the lung fail to open fully or actually collapse, leading to reduced air volume in that region and impaired gas exchange. It’s a common finding after anesthesia or surgery or with shallow breathing and mucus plugging. Hyperinflation, by contrast, means the lungs are overexpanded. Pneumothorax involves air in the pleural space that pushes the lung inward, causing collapse through a different mechanism. Emphysema is chronic destruction of alveolar walls with loss of elastic recoil and permanent enlargement of airspaces, not simply a loss of full expansion.