[Progress in the surgical treatment of congenital and acquired broncho-pulmonary pathology]

Surgery is the cornerstone in the management of congenital bronchopulmonary diseases. This term include a wide spectrum of malformative anomalies subdivided clinically into cystic and solid lesions. Bronchogenic cyst (BC), cystic adenomatoid malformation (CAM) and congenital lobar overinflation (CLO) are congenital cystic lesions. Pulmonary sequestration (PS) and pulmonary arteriovenous malformation (PAM) are congenital solid lesions. As a group, congenital bronchopulmonary diseases require removal in order to reduce potentially life-threatening infection and respiratory distress. Bronchopulmonary infections and neoplasms constitutes acquired bronchopulmonary diseases. Improvement in antibiotic therapy has reduced the place of surgery in the current treatment of bronchopulmonary infections. At present, the failure of medical therapy and the appearance of complications are the most common indications for operative treatment. Although these problems are not as common now, at times they required surgical intervention. Finally bronchopulmonary neoplasms are unusual in the pediatric age group. As a result, experience with the diagnosis, management and prognosis is limited. However, the complete surgical resection offers the best chance for survival in the large majority of cases.