Respiratory Morbidity Among Children Undergoing Surgical Resection for a Congenital Lung Malformation

Background: Congenital lung malformations (CLMs) are the most common condition requiring lung surgery in children. Although surgical resection is generally well tolerated in the immediate postoperative period, long-term outcomes are not well studied. In this paper, we sought to define the risk of childhood respiratory morbidity, specifically asthma and pneumonia, in patients who underwent CLM resection. Methods: After IRB approval, a retrospective study was conducted on all pediatric CLM resections performed at a single tertiary care children's hospital between January 2013 and December 2022. The primary outcome measures were the diagnosis of asthma and/or pneumonia more than 30 days after resection. Clinical and demographic characteristics were evaluated in univariate analysis and multivariable logistic regression as appropriate (p < 0.05). Results: Of the 54 patients who underwent CLM resection, 36 (67%) met inclusion criteria. The median age at resection was 6.2 months (IQR: 4.3-9.0), and the median follow-up period was 3.7 years (IQR: 1.7-5.7). Twelve were subsequently diagnosed with asthma at a median age of 3.3 years (IQR: 2.1-4.5). These observed asthma rates were significantly higher than expected when compared to nonlung surgery controls (33% vs. 6%, p < 0.01). Seven (21%) children were diagnosed with pneumonia, but this was not significantly different. Conclusion: These data suggest that children undergoing lung resection for a CLM may be at an increased risk for the development of early childhood asthma. Given the potential implications for preoperative counseling and postoperative follow-up, multicenter studies to validate these findings are warranted.