What Are Potential Problems of Congenital Lung Malformations?

Discussion Congenital lung malformations (CLM) are commonly identified with prenatal ultrasound and occur in ~1:2400 live births. The natural history shows that lesions may remain the same, enlarge or appear to disappear. There is a wide-range of clinical manifestations. Patients may be asymptomatic or symptomatic at birth and often develop symptoms later. The overall natural history is difficult to ascertain as there are fewer studies done in older children and adults. Those that are done often lack a good denominator by which to judge the incidence or prevalence. Resection is carried out usually if a patient is symptomatic, but in patients who are asymptomatic the decision can be more difficult. Timing of resection for asymptomatic patients is debated and usually occurs between 6 month – 2 years and try to spare as much tissue as necessary. Main reasons for early treatment of CLMs is the potential for continued or compensatory lung development and growth. Alveolar units continue to develop until age 2 and there can be increased size of existing alveoli before and after this age. Within the alveoli there are changes that can occur up to age 4-5 years. Other studies show many children becoming asymptomatic but again there are complicating issues with these studies. Common types of CLMs include: Bronchogenic cysts Lesions arise from the bronchial tree usually around the mediastinum, lined with respiratory epithelium that are mucus-filled, may have a component of cartil...
Source: PediatricEducation.org - Category: Pediatrics Authors: Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: news