Formation of a membrane from repeated thoracostomy and thoracoamniotic shunting

Abstract

Key words bronchopulmonary sequestration, fetal therapies, hydrops fetalis, pleural effusion, thoracostomy.Bronchopulmonary sequestration (BPS) is defined as a mass of abnormal pulmonary tissue that does not have normal bronchial communication with the tracheobronchial tree. 1 BPS is often associated with fetal pleural effusion 2 and the treatment for BPS includes thoracoamniotic shunting of fetal pleural effusions. 3 Thoracoamniotic shunting for BPS with hydrothorax ameliorates fetal hydrops by relieving mediastinal compression. However, thoracoamniotic shunting may cause complications, such as premature labor, premature rupture of the membranes, and chorioamnionitis. 4 We report a case of fetal BPS with pleural effusion, in which postmortem examination revealed