[Thoracic surgery in neonates and infants with congenital malformations].

Congenital malformations of the lung and diaphragm are a challenge in paediatric surgery. Depending on the malformation they show a broad spectrum of symptoms and a varying age at manifestation. Thus there are many diagnostic and therapeutic options, which require a good knowledge of the pathology. The treatment of these complex cases should lead to early referral to paediatric centres containing an interdisciplinary team with neonatologists, paediatric pulmonologists and cardiologists, ENT surgeons, anaesthesiologists, radiologists and paediatric surgeons. Some malformations are diagnosed prenatally and need intrauterine interventions. Decisive is the early diagnosis and treatment of these malformations. Nowadays the surgical therapy of neonates and infants with malformations of the lung and diaphragm is enriched by a number of endoscopic and endoluminal techniques, which are discussed critically in this article.