Scimitar etcetera--the dysmorphic right lung

Child chest trauma with hypogenetic lung

Trauma patients with hypogenetic lung could be difficult to diagnose and confused with post trauma haemothorax. This can lead to insertion of intercostal drain and result in serious iatrogenic injury. Differentiation between hypogenetic lung disease and haemothorax sometimes requires additional investigations like ultrasound scan or computed tomography.

A systematic classification of the congenital bronchopulmonary vascular malformations: dysmorphogeneses of the primitive foregut system and the primitive aortic arch system

PURPOSE

We reviewed the cases of 33 patients from our clinic and 142 patients from the literature with congenital bronchopulmonary vascular malformations (BPVM), systematically analyzed the bronchopulmonary airways, pulmonary arterial supplies, and pulmonary venous drainages, and classified these patients by pulmonary malinosculation (PM).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

From January 1990 to January 2007, a total of 33 patients (17 men or boys and 16 women or girls), aged 1 day to 24 years (median, 2.5 months), with congenital BPVM were included in this study. Profiles of clinical manifestations, chest radiographs, echocardiographs, esophagographs, computer tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), magnetic resonance angiography (MRA), cardiac catheterizations with angiography, contrast bronchographs, bronchoscopies, chromosomal studies, surgeries, and autopsies of these patients were analyzed to confirm the diagnosis of congenital BPVM. A total of 142 cases from the literature were also reviewed and classified similarly.

RESULTS

The malformations of our 33 patients can be classified as type A isolated bronchial PM in 13 patients, type B isolated arterial PM in three, type C isolated venous PM in two, type D mixed bronchoarterial PM in five, type F mixed arteriovenous PM in one, and type G mixed bronchoarteriovenous PM in nine.

CONCLUSION

Dysmorphogeneses of the primitive foregut system and the primitive aortic arch system may lead to haphazard malinosculations of the airways, arteries, and veins of the lung. A systematic classification of patients with congenital BPVM is clinically feasible by assessing the three basic bronchovascular systems of the lung independently.

Isolated and complex scimitar vein anomalies and their differentiation from the meandering right pulmonary vein

PURPOSE

Four pediatric patients with isolated (the adult form) and complex (the infantile form) scimitar vein anomalies were reviewed and compared with patients with meandering right pulmonary veins.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

From January 1990 to December 2006, 4 female patients, aged 2 days to 3.5 years, with isolated and complex scimitar vein anomalies were retrospectively studied. The clinical features, chest radiographs, echocardiography, magnetic resonance imaging, magnetic resonance angiography, computer tomography, bronchography, cardiac catheterization with angiography, surgery, and autopsy were reviewed to substantiate the diagnosis of isolated and complex scimitar vein anomalies.

RESULTS

Clinical manifestations were lung infections with radiographic scimitar signs in 4 patients (3 right; 1 left), respiratory distress, congestive heart failure, pulmonary hypertension and/or cyanosis in 3 patients, dextrocardia, heterotaxy, and/or right atrial isomerism in 2 patients, as well as dextroversion, right bronchial isomerism, bronchial stenosis, and/or sepsis in 1 patient. Two patients with right atrial isomerism expired.

CONCLUSION

The clinical discrimination between scimitar vein anomaly with and without cardiovascular and bronchopulmonary malformations is crucial for the outcomes vary.

Clinical outcomes of congenital lung abnormalities

Individually, congenital abnormalities of the lung are rare but collectively they form an important group of conditions. The range of malformations is broad and the clinical impact is very variable, depending on the degree of malformation. This article groups these conditions under their traditional headings and considers their management. However, in conditions that are atypical, it is often useful to adopt a clear anatomical approach. Consider investigations that will clearly identify the structure of the bronchial tree, lung parenchyma and the vascular supply and drainage. Describe each in logical and simple terms. Similarly, an individual assessment of function will assist in planning appropriate management. The natural history of some of the congenital lung lesions is often unknown. This gap in our knowledge has widened with the advent of detailed antenatal ultrasound scanning. Paediatricians are now faced with an increasing cohort of completely asymptomatic antenatally diagnosed congenital lung lesions and the best post-natal management is unclear. Long-term follow-up studies are required to document their natural history.

Systemic arterial supply to normal basal segments of the left lung: characteristic features on chest radiography and CT

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this report is to present the characteristic features on chest radiography and CT of systemic arterial supply to normal basal segments of the left lung in three cases.

CONCLUSION

Accurate interpretation of chest radiographs and CT scans is important in making the correct diagnosis and avoiding life-threatening lung biopsy.

The "horseshoe" lung: six new cases

Six cases of horseshoe lung have been found in a group of 147 scimitar syndrome cases collected in a cooperative multicenter study. These cases were associated either with the severe infantile or with the benign adult form of the scimitar syndrome. The aim of this paper is to describe the clinical and imaging signs as well as the prognosis of 6 new cases of horseshoe lung in association with scimitar syndrome. The authors conclude (1) that the diagnosis of horseshoe lung may be strongly suspected on standard chest radiographs and confirmed by thoracic CT scan; (2) that the prognosis of scimitar syndrome does not seem to be worse when associated with horseshoe lung.

Scimitar sign with normal pulmonary venous drainage and systemic arterial supply. Scimitar syndrome or bronchopulmonary sequestration?

The classic definition of the scimitar syndrome is a triad of hypoplasia of the right lung with anomalous venous drainage and a systemic arterial supply of a variable degree. We report a case in which a scimitar-shaped anomalous vein was observed on the plain chest radiograph, but subsequently a pulmonary angiogram showed that it drained normally into the left atrium.

Scimitar syndrome associated with partial anomalous pulmonary venous connection at the supracardiac, cardiac, and infracardiac levels

A 1-year-old female child was diagnosed to have scimitar syndrome associated with partial anomalous pulmonary venous connection of the right lung at the superior vena cava-right atrial junction, right atrium, and inferior vena cava. To our knowledge, this pattern of pulmonary venous connection has not been previously described in this syndrome.

Prenatal ultrasonographic diagnosis of acardiac twin

Acardiac twinning is a rare complication of monozygotic twin gestation occurring in 1/35,000 pregnancies or in 1% of all monozygotic twins. This condition is characterized by partial or complete lack of development of the heart in one of the twins, and requires that the normal twin (pump twin) provides circulation for itself as well as the acardiac sibling (perfused twin) by means of reverse circulation through large artery-to-artery and vein-to-vein anastomoses. The acardiac anomaly is uniformly fatal for the perfused twin, and the perinatal mortality for the normal twin is about 50%, usually as the result of congestive heart failure, polyhydramnios, and preterm delivery. In this report we present two cases of acardiac twin prenatally diagnosed by ultrasound. The principal sonographic features for prenatal diagnosis and the clinical management are briefly discussed.