Congenital cystic lung lesions: is surgical resection essential?

Can all congenital cystic lung lesions be treated conservatively, without the need for surgery? Our purpose here is to present the morbidity associated with symptomatic cystic lung lesions which have failed to respond to medical treatment. In the past 8 years, 22 consecutive cystic thoracic lesions were retrospectively assessed for clinical presentation, diagnostic modalities, operative findings, technical tribulations, and outcome. The endpoint was complete cessation of recurrent pneumonia and dysphagia. Age at presentation was 7.7 +/- 2.2 years, with 4 +/- 2 episodes per year of lower respiratory tract infection, which had been treated for the past 2.6 +/- 0.3 years. Cough and dyspnea (100%) were the common symptoms, with episodes of cyanosis occurring in 58%. Other significant clinical presentations were dysphagia (55%), failure to thrive (55%), chest pain (46%), haemoptysis (18%), and pleuritic pain (18%). Definitive growth was seen in 91% of the excised specimens. Preoperative morbidity resulted from intractable pneumonia, dysphagia, and failure to thrive. Surgical excision was curative. All 22 children after resection are thriving, with an absence of pneumonia and dysphagia, with normal ventilation/perfusion scans, at 48 +/- 6 months of follow-up. In conclusion, surgical excision of a symptomatic cystic lung lesion that has not responded to medical treatment is recommended.