Giant bronchogenic cyst with pericardial defect: a case report & literature review in Japan

Congenital partial pericardial defect discovered incidentally during surgery for lung cancer: a case report and literature review

BACKGROUND

Congenital pericardial defects are rare congenital anomalies, often asymptomatic and incidentally detected during thoracic surgery.

CASE PRESENTATION

A 74-year-old man with primary lung cancer (cT1cN0M0, Stage IA3) underwent thoracoscopic radical lobectomy. At the time of thoracotomy, a pericardial defect was found on the ventral side of the hilar region, and the left atrial appendage was exposed. Due to concern that contact between the bronchial stump and the left atrial appendage may lead to postoperative bleeding and heart hernia, the pericardial defect was closed with an expanded polytetrafluoroethylene GoreTex® membrane. Preoperative computed tomography was reanalyzed with a 1 mm slice, congenital pericardial defect was detected as the pericardium had penetrated under the left atrial appendage.

CONCLUSIONS

In congenital partial pericardial defect, contact between the left atrial appendage and bronchial stump, due to movement of the lung or heart, increases the risk of bleeding after lung resection. Therefore, closure of the defect should be considered. Although it is difficult to diagnose congenital partial pericardial defect preoperatively, computed tomography taken with a slice thickness of 1 mm is useful for diagnosis.

Mature mediastinal bronchogenic cyst with left pericardial defect: A case report

BACKGROUND

Mediastinal bronchogenic cysts and pericardial defects are both rare. It is extremely rare that both occur simultaneously. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of a coexistent bronchogenic cyst and pericardial defect reported in China. We performed a literature review and found a relationship between bronchogenic cysts and pericardial defects, which further revealed the correlation between the bronchus and pericardium during embryonic development.

CASE SUMMARY

A 14-year-old boy attended a local hospital for ankylosing spondylitis. Chest radiography showed an enhanced circular-density shadow near the left mediastinum. The patient had no chest symptoms and the physical examination was normal. Because of the mediastinal occupation, the patient visited our department of chest surgery for further treatment. During surgery, a left pericardial defect was observed. The bronchogenic cyst was removed by thoracoscopic surgery, but the pericardial defect remained untreated, and a satisfactory outcome was achieved after the operation. The patient was diagnosed with a mediastinal tumor. The pathological diagnosis of the tumor was a bronchogenic cyst.

CONCLUSION

This case further reveals the correlation between the bronchus and pericardium during embryonic development.