An Eleven-Year Review of Congenital Pulmonary Lesions in a Referral Children’s Hospital in Tehran

Abstract

Background: Congenital pulmonary lesions may be diagnosed through ultrasonographic screenings or be revealed as causes of respiratory distress in the neonatal period and infancy. Less commonly, they are detected as incidental features. Objectives: Our study represents the diversity of congenital pulmonary lesions and their characteristics during an 11-year period in a referral teaching children's hospital in Tehran, the capital city of Iran. Methods: Data from an 11-year period of patients with the final diagnosis of congenital pulmonary lesions in Mofid Children's hospital were reviewed. The data included the prenatal ultrasonographic, postnatal radiographic, and pathologic diagnoses, along with the patient's age, way of presentation, length of hospitalization, and accompanying features and morbidities. Results: Of 37 cases of congenital pulmonary lesions, 28 cases (75%) were boys. Thirty-six cases (97.2%) presented with pure pulmonary signs and symptoms. Of these cases, 16 (43.2%) were neonates, 17 (46%) were infants, and 4 (10.8%) were children. Twentyseven (73%) patients missed the opportunity for early diagnosis. In order of frequency, cases were diagnosed as congenital lobar emphysema (43.5%), congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation (32.5%), pulmonary sequestration (19%), hybrid lesion (2.5%), or bronchogenic cyst (2.5%). Conclusions:In an analysis of retrospective data of 37 congenital pulmonary lesions, male predominance was obvious, as has been found in previous studies.