Doing a trawl of recent research - to answer any prospective "what is the recent research in your field" q, I have found an article which examines the exact same thing as my PhD.

Slight heart attack later, I've realised it IS quite different in a number of ways and my PhD is fine :-)

BUT do I mention this - my examiners are experts in my main field, but not the specialist area I've focused on. So do I bring it up, or pretend I don't know anything about it?

I would keep it on the back-burner and let them mention it and then demonstrate that you're aware of it but that it's quite different etc etc. I wouldn't highlight any potential problems unless they mention them to you. I devoted quite a bit of time to recent research in my field pre viva but wasn't asked a single thing about it!

Don't bring it up but make sure you are able to talk about it should they. For example, the differences, similarities, why you didn't include it etc.

ok - well I think it was published after I submitted, I still can't access the entire paper as is so recent, although I can work out that the research is very different, SO glad did qualititative now - as its a quant study with different participants, in a different country, and found different things. YAY!