The first Korean case of cutaneous lung tissue heterotopia

Case report: Diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary choristoma in a newborn calf

A 4-day-old female Holstein calf presented with a large-sized, protruding mass in its back, at birth. Radiography identified the deformed spinous process in the second and third lumbar vertebras, suggesting spina bifida. Ultrasonography of the back mass revealed anechoic bronchi-like structures and large vessels with rich blood flow running parallel within the homogenous echogenic mass's parenchyma. Doppler ultrasonography also revealed pulsatile vessels entering into the deeper side of the transverse process of the lumbar vertebras at the right-sided base of the protruding mass. These imaging results were helpful for surgical planning, in which a large arterial vessel was sutured at the right-sided mass's base, followed by resection of the mass itself. The mass's resection could be carried out according to the planned surgical procedure, though its invasion was too deep to be resected completely. Histopathology for the resected specimens revealed that the mass mainly had lung-tissue-like structures comprised of bronchi-, bronchiole- and alveoli-like structures, and large vessels, allowing the diagnosis of pulmonary choristoma. Doppler ultrasonography could contribute to the differentiation between the bronchi-like tubular structure and the large arterial vessels on the same images, aiding diagnosis of this disease.

Cutaneous ectopia of lung, located on back and neck: Hitherto undescribed presentation

Ectopia is defined as the presence of a normal-appearing tissue in an abnormal location, where it is not normally found. In the literature, it is also referred to as heterotopia and is described as choristoma when it forms a mass. Lung tissue ectopia is a rare anomaly and is characterized by the presence of mature lung tissue comprising well-formed bronchi, bronchioles, and alveoli at an abnormal location. Occurrence of ectopic lung tissue in the skin is an extremely rare entity and the diagnosis is mostly established by histopathologic examination. This report documents a rare occurrence of cutaneous ectopic lung tissue at two locations (neck and back). Cutaneous ectopia at multiple sites has not been described in the literature till date.