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Updated: Oct 18, 2026
Protocol and Guidelines for Point-of-Care Lung Ultrasound in Diagnosing Neonatal Pulmonary Diseases Based on International Expert Consensus
Published on: March 6, 2019
Are bilateral fetal lung masses double trouble?
G S Lipshutz1, J B Lopoo, R W Jennings
1Fetal Treatment Center, Department of Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA.
Objectives:
To examine the perinatal natural history of bilateral fetal cystic lung masses.
Methods:
The records of a tertiary medical center over a 3-year period were reviewed for cases of fetal bilateral pulmonary masses.
Results:
Three of 98 fetuses referred for evaluation over a 3-year period from September of 1995 to August of 1998 had bilateral lung lesions. Two of these cases resulted in live births, while one, associated with hydrops, resulted in death after preterm delivery.
Conclusions:
Similar to prenatally diagnosed unilateral lung lesions, hydropic fetuses with bilateral cystic lung lesions have a poor prognosis. Nonhydropic fetuses, however, may be asymptomatic despite persistent lesions on postnatal CT scan. These observation may prove helpful for prenatal counseling for these rare lesions.
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