Purpose or Case Report: Pulmonary sequestration comprises a spectrum of congenital lung anomalies in which one or more of the following are present: bronchial sequestration, aberrant systemic arterial supply, and/or anomalous pulmonary venous drainage. Treatment is surgical; however, evaluation of the lesion with chest computed tomography (CT) prior to surgery is vital for planning as there are different surgical interventions required based on the components of the sequestration. Sequestrations can be associated with additional congenital abnormalities, some of which can also be evaluated by chest CT prior to surgery.
Methods & Materials: A retrospective analysis of multimodality imaging in patients demonstrating pulmonary sequestration spectrum findings, who presented to an urban children’s hospital since 2005 is performed. Imaging and clinical history are correlated with surgical and pathologic findings where applicable. A variety of more common and rare radiologic findings are selected for imaging review.
Results: Review of the pulmonary sequestration spectrum is provided with imaging examples. Examples of classic single lower lobe lesions are presented, along with more rare and unusual anatomical findings in the sequestration spectrum, including isolated systemic aberrant arterial supply and bilateral lesions.
Conclusions: Surgical planning for pulmonary sequestration relies on assessment of the vascular characteristics and associated anomalies. Pre-operative imaging plays an important role in not only diagnosing pulmonary sequestration and related entities, but, also in helping to determine which patients require further evaluation prior to surgical intervention or even which patients require surgery.