Pulmonary sequestration: a case report and literature review

Abstract

Purpose: Pulmonary sequestration (PS) is a rare congenital lung malformation. It is characterized by an abnormal mass of dysplastic lung tissue supplied by an anomalous systemic artery and separated from normal bronchopulmonary tree. Misdiagnosis and inadequate treatment can lead to recurrent pneumonia and fatal hemoptysis.

Methods: We report a 45 years female was diagnosed PS, and performed a brief review about the clinical features, diagnostic strategies, and management options of the PS.

Results: Her remarkable symptoms were cough and hemoptysis, the contrast- enhanced computed tomography of the chest revealed a multiloculated cystic solid mass filled with low density lesions and a feeding artery from the descending abdominal aorta to the cystic solid mass was visualized, then the patient suffered a right lower- lobe resection, and the surgery and pathological examination all supported the diagnosis of intralobar sequestration.

Conclusions: Symptomatic patients of the pulmonary sequestration should be treated by surgery to avoid the risk of death due to massive hemoptysis.

Keywords: Pulmonary sequestration; aberrant artery; extralobar sequestration; hemoptysis; intralobar sequestration; surgery.

Figure 1

The typical contrast enhanced thoracic computed tomography images of a 45-year-old female with intralobar sequestration. A, C. A round high density mass was seen in lung window; B. A multiloculated cystic solid mass filled with low density lesions were visualized in mediastinal window; D. A feeding vessel coursed from the abdominal aorta directly into the cystic solid mass (arrow).