Surgical Treatment of Bronchopulmonary Malformations in Children: Experience in a Brazilian Center

Introduction: Bronchopulmonary malformations (BPM) are lower respiratory tract anomalies that include congenital malformations of the pulmonary airways (CMPA), bronchogenic cysts (BC), bronchopulmonary sequestrations (BPS), and congenital lobar emphysema (CLE). Prenatal detection in low- and middle-income countries is less common than in high-income ones. This study aims to show the experience in the surgical approach to BPM in a Brazilian center, with emphasis on clinical evolution and surgical results, according to the time of diagnosis (prenatal versus postnatal).

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed medical records of patients under the age of 18 who underwent surgery for BPM at a referral center in a middle-income country between 2000 and 2021. Based on the time of BPM diagnosis, we divided the children into two groups: prenatal and postnatal. These groups were evaluated in terms of age at surgery, history of pneumonia before the operation, surgical outcomes (perioperative and postoperative complications, duration of mechanical ventilation, duration of chest tube, length of hospital stay), and histological type of BPM.

Results: In the cohort of 66 patients, 43 (65.1%) had a prenatal diagnosis of BPM, while 23 (34.8%) were identified after birth. Compared with patients diagnosed prenatally, those diagnosed after birth underwent surgery at a higher age (mean of 978 days ± 1341.0 versus mean of 200 days ± 360.9; p<0.01), and had a higher incidence of pneumonia before surgery (65% vs. 12%, p < 0.01). There was no association between the time of BPM diagnosis and postoperative outcomes. All patients with BPS were in the prenatal group, and all patients with CLE were in the postnatal one. There was a higher prevalence of CMPA in the prenatal group compared with the postnatal one (72% vs. 39%, p < 0.01).

Conclusion: In a Brazilian center, approximately 2/3 of the patients had an intrauterine diagnosis of bronchopulmonary malformations and were treated early at a neonatology center. Patients diagnosed with BPM only after birth were more likely to have pneumonia and undergo surgery at an older age than patients with an intrauterine diagnosis. Prospective, multicenter studies, including asymptomatic patients treated conservatively, without surgical interventions, and patients operated by video-assisted thoracoscopy, would be well indicated to evaluate the future evolution of children with BPM and to establish protocols appropriate to the Brazilian reality.