Bronchopulmonary dysplasia is defined as prolonged respiratory failure resulting from sequellae after neonatal intensive care in premature infants. Functional impairment continues into adult life. There are two main causal factors: the initial respiratory disease and pulmonary immaturity. Up through the nineties, bronchopulmonary dysplasia was a major problem in neonatal intensive care units; mortality reached 20% of infants requiring artificial ventilation for 1 or 2 months. Despite the rising rate of premature births (currently 2%) considerable progress has been made in the treatment of bronchopulmonary dysplasia. The question is whether the infants in the current generation with still suffer into adult life. Advances in preventive therapy have included antenatal corticosteroid therapy, use of exogenous surfactants and progressive improvement in ventilatory assistance techniques. Improved neonatal care to relieve pain and maintain nutrition have also had an important effect. Specific treatments include the use of salbutamol spray to reduce bronchospasme and improve respiratory compliance. The initial hopes placed in inhaled corticosteroids were unfortunately recently shown to be unfounded. Due to the large number of premature infants it appears difficult to predict the future situation of bronchopulmonary dysplasia, but current data show a clear tendancy towards regression of the disease. Three preventive measures could further reduce the incidence: better coordination between obstetricians and pediatricians, extension of antenatal corticosteroid therapy and the development and improvement of continuous positive pressure ventilation.