Predictive Role of Venous Drainage and Lesion Margins in Bronchopulmonary Sequestration Classification

Background: Bronchopulmonary sequestration (BPS) is a portion of dysplastic pulmonary tissue not communicating with the tracheobronchial tree. Its vascularization is provided by abnormal arteries originating from the systemic circulation. Previous papers report different venous drainage (VD) between intralobar (ILS) and extralobar sequestration (ELS), respectively, into the pulmonary or the systemic veins. The aim of our study is to investigate the VD as independent predictor of the type of PS. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 41 pediatric patients who underwent surgery for BPS between 2016 and 2023 in two centers. Patients treated prenatally and without pre-operative CT were excluded. BPS were classified either intra or extra lobar. Pre-operative radiological BPS classification prediction was assessed based on intra-operative thoracoscopic findings. Lesion VD and sharp margins (SM) on pre-operative CT were assessed as predicting factors. Results: A total of 36 patients were included: 24 ILS and 12 ELS. All patients underwent thoracoscopic resection without major complications. VD is significantly different between ILS and ELS: 96% of ILS drain into the pulmonary system while 83% of ELS drain into a systemic vein (p < 0.00001). On pre-operative CT, the absence of SM predicts for an ILS in 100% of cases. SM has a PPV for ELS of 85.7%. The combination of SM and systemic VD has a PPV for ELS of 91.7%. Conclusions: In our series, the absence of SM alone is suggestive for an ILS in 100% of cases, while the combination of SM and systemic VD is more accurate in predicting ELS. This may help improving surgical planning and family consultation.