Morphological Variations of the Tracheobronchial Tree in the Paediatric Population: A Systematic Review With...

Area of Science:

• Anatomy
• Developmental Biology
• Pediatric Pulmonology

Background:

• Congenital variations of the tracheobronchial tree (TBT) are deviations from typical embryonic development.
• These anomalies are of significant morphological and developmental interest, especially in pediatric cases.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present meta-analytic evidence on congenital TBT variations in pediatric patients.
• To determine the pooled prevalence of various TBT anomalies in children.

Main Methods:

• A systematic literature search was performed across major databases.
• Studies reporting congenital TBT variations in pediatric populations were included.
• Random-effects meta-analysis was used to calculate pooled prevalence estimates.

Main Results:

• Twenty-six studies involving 15,734 pediatric patients were analyzed.
• The most prevalent anomaly was tracheal bronchus (TB) at 13.41%, followed by accessory cardiac bronchus (ACB) at 4.03%.
• Other anomalies included bridging bronchus (1.43%), tracheal agenesis (0.86%), tracheal trifurcation (0.40%), and bronchial agenesis (0.13%).

Conclusions:

• Congenital TBT variations are more frequently identified in the pediatric population than previously recognized.
• Tracheal bronchus (TB) and accessory cardiac bronchus (ACB) are the most common morphological variants.
• Accurate characterization aids understanding of airway development and recognition in pediatric studies.