Thoracoscopic Lobectomy for Congenital Pulmonary Airway Malformation: Where Are We in 2019?

Thoracoscopic surgery for congenital pulmonary airway malformation (CPAM) is still a matter of debate and used by approximately 50% of the surgeons in Europe. Several questions need to be addressed about CPAM. The adequate treatment, the surgical approach, and the follow-up are few of them. A review of recent articles published in the literature over the past 5 years is done in trying to respond to these questions. A multidisciplinary team is required to follow these patients since approximately 10 to 15% will develop a chronic lung disease and asthma. In the case of conservative management, computed tomography scan should be perform to monitor the evolution of the CPAM. Minimally invasive surgery should be used whenever possible, although the advantages of pulmonary function tests are not clearly defined, allowing a postoperative fast-track management.