Torsion of right lung sequestration mimicking a posterior mediastinal mass presenting as acute abdomen: Usefulness of MR imaging

Recognition of an extralobar pulmonary sequestration during lung resection

BACKGROUND

Extralobar pulmonary sequestration is located outside the lung parenchyma and is covered by a separated pleural sac, which comprises approximately 25% of all pulmonary sequestration.

CASE PRESENTATION

This article reported one case of an extralobar pulmonary sequestration originated from the mesoesophagus, which was recognized and excised during a lung resection. Histologic examination revealed an ectopic lung tissue with hyperplasia of bronchioles, which was accord with an extralobar pulmonary sequestration.

CONCLUSIONS

CT angiogram, ultrasound and MRI can be used to clarify the diagnosis and detect the abnormal feeding arteries of extralobar pulmonary sequestration. Carefulness should be taken while dissecting and ligating the potential feeding arteries. Endovascular occlusion might be an alternative option to surgery.

Clinical analysis of extralobar pulmonary sequestration with torsion in children: report of 6 cases

Background

Extralobar pulmonary sequestration is an uncommon congenital pulmonary malformation. Clinically, pedicle torsion of extralobar pulmonary sequestration is extremely rare. Due to inadequate awareness of its atypical presentation and imaging characteristics, clinical diagnosis is very difficult, and it is extremely easy to misdiagnose.

Case presentation

There were 6 children (3 males and 3 females), aged 3–12 years old. The main clinical symptoms of the children were abdominal and chest pain (3 cases), abdominal pain (1 case), chest pain (1 case), and vomiting and abdominal distension (1 case). Two cases were accompanied by fever. Preoperative ultrasound revealed a well-bordered mass with soft-tissue density, accompanied by pleural effusion. On contrast-enhanced computed tomography scans, the mass showed no obvious enhancement. A blood supply was only present in 1 case, and there was no feeding artery shown in the other 5 cases. Extralobar pulmonary sequestration with haemorrhagic infarction was pathologically confirmed. On postoperative days 2–6, the children were discharged uneventfully. There were no complications during the median follow-up of 4 months.

Conclusions

Torsed extralobar pulmonary sequestration usually occurs in childhood or adolescence, with abdominal and/or chest pain as the primary symptoms. Imaging examination shows a well-defined soft-tissue mass without enhancement. The feeding vessel is not clearly displayed in the mass, and extralobar pulmonary sequestration is accompanied by varying amounts of pleural effusion. Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgical resection is associated with excellent prognosis.

A rare case of torsion and infarction of an extralobar pulmonary sequestration with MR, CT, and surgical correlation

Extralobar pulmonary sequestration is a rare congenital pulmonary malformation that may present early in life or remain asymptomatic. Here we present a case of torsion of an extralobar pulmonary sequestration on its vascular pedicle. Although the patient's initial symptomatology suggested intraabdominal pathology, the correct preoperative diagnosis was determined in large part by the lesion's MRI characteristics, which strongly suggested tissue infarction.

The current status and further prospects for lung magnetic resonance imaging in pediatric radiology

Lung MRI makes it possible to replace up to 90% of CT examinations with radiation-free magnetic resonance diagnostics of the lungs without suffering any diagnostic loss. The individual radiation exposure can thus be relevantly reduced. This applies in particular to children who repeatedly require sectional imaging of the lung, e.g., in tumor surveillance or in chronic lung diseases such as cystic fibrosis. In this paper we discuss various factors that favor the establishment of lung MRI in the clinical setting. Among the many sequences proposed for lung imaging, respiration-triggered T2-W turbo spin-echo (TSE) sequences have been established as a good standard for children. Additional sequences are mostly dispensable. The most important pulmonary findings are demonstrated here in the form of a detailed pictorial essay. T1-weighted gradient echo sequences with ultrashort echo time are a new option. These sequences anticipate signal loss in the lung and deliver CT-like images with high spatial resolution. When using self-gated T1-W ultrashort echo time 3-D sequences that acquire iso-voxel geometry in the sub-millimeter range, secondary reconstructions are possible.