Symptomatic cysts in otherwise normal lungs of children and adults

The clinical and pathological features of 28 lung cysts resected in the period 1980-1989, excluding those from patients with emphysema elsewhere in their lungs, have been reviewed. In 12 children aged 8 days to 17 years, five cysts were congenital adenomatoid malformations, three were bronchogenic cysts, two were intralobar sequestrations, one was a cystic haemangioma and one resembled the cysts excised from 16 adult patients. This latter group ranged in age from 20 to 62 years and included 11 cigarette smokers and five asthmatics. Twelve of these cysts were intralobar and four were attached by a pedicle to the pleural surface of the lung. All these cysts had a fibromuscular wall showing varying degrees of acute and chronic inflammation. The presence of at least a partial lining of epithelial cells in all the cysts was confirmed using an immunocytochemical marker. The surrounding lung did not show any significant pathology. These cysts are labelled as simple fibromuscular pulmonary cysts. In the childhood cases, a congenital cause could be established in the majority. The pathogenesis of the adult cysts remains unclear. The presence of inflammation in the cyst walls does not necessarily suggest a role for infection, as secondary infection of cysts cannot be ruled out. An aetiological role for local damage due to cigarette smoking or asthma must be taken into consideration.