The diagnosis and surgical management of pulmonary sequestration in adults: a case series from a single centre in the UK

Pulmonary sequestration (PS) is a rare congenital malformation where extrapulmonary lung tissue receives systemic blood supply from an anomalous branch directly from the thoracic or abdominal aorta. Whilst non-malignant, it can often present with similar symptoms as lung cancer. We present a retrospective review of 8 consecutive adult patients undergoing surgical management for PS within a single centre in the UK. Of our cohort, 62.5% had never smoked. PS in the right lung was seen in 62.5% of cases. Anomalous branches of the pulmonary artery, pulmonary vein or coeliac axis supplied 37.5% of the PS seen in our cohort, and 12.5% did not have a radiologically identifiable blood supply. Techniques varied from thoracotomy (n = 4), video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) (n = 3) to robotic resection (n = 1) with no intra-operative or post-operative complications reported within hospital. The mean length of stay was 2 days. The post-operative mortality rate was 12.5%; one patient had died following the robotic resection of the mass of pneumonia in the local district hospital 26 days post-operatively after being discharged. No other complications nor recurrence was recorded over the follow-up period. Where pulmonary masses receive blood supply from anomalous branches of the pulmonary vein and coeliac axis, diagnoses of PS should be considered. The clinical feasibility of discharge in 2 days with no symptom recurrence should undergo further investigation with a larger sample size.