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Congenital bronchial atresia in infants and children

Nobuyuki Morikawa1, Tatsuo Kuroda, Toshiro Honna

  • 1Division of General Surgery, National Center for Child Health and Development, Tokyo 157-8535, Japan. morikawa-n@ncchd.go.jp

Journal of Pediatric Surgery
|December 13, 2005
PubMed

Insights

Congenital bronchial atresia (CBA) in children often causes symptoms like productive cough and recurrent pneumonia, unlike in adults. Early diagnosis with imaging and pathology is crucial for effective surgical treatment.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Pulmonology
  • Thoracic Surgery
  • Medical Imaging

Background:

  • Congenital bronchial atresia (CBA) is typically found incidentally in asymptomatic young adults.
  • Diagnosis in children is rare, with limited understanding of its pediatric presentation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To clarify the clinical characteristics of congenital bronchial atresia in childhood.
  • To describe the spectrum of congenital bronchial atresia in pediatric patients.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective review of 29 pediatric patients (1 day to 13 years) with confirmed CBA.
  • Pathological confirmation of a blind-ending bronchus with distal mucous-filled bronchocele and hyperinflated lung parenchyma.

Main Results:

  • Most pediatric patients (28/29) were symptomatic, primarily with productive cough and recurrent pneumonia (26 children).
  • Imaging modalities like CT, bronchography, and bronchoscopy aided diagnosis, revealing bronchocele and hyperinflation.
  • The right lower lobe was the most frequently affected site (12 cases).

Conclusions:

  • Congenital bronchial atresia presents distinctively in children, often with symptoms, unlike adults.
  • Accurate diagnosis requires advanced imaging and pathology, differentiating it from intralobar sequestration or bronchial cysts.
  • CBA is a distinct pediatric condition causing recurrent pneumonia or respiratory distress, necessitating surgical intervention.
Abstract

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