Congenital lobar emphysema in children: Institutional experience and errors to be avoided in the management

Abstract

Background: Congenital Lobar emphysema (CLE) is one of the rarest cystic lesions in the thoracic cavity among children. It is often misdiagnosed and managed incorrectly. We are reporting our institutional experience and recommendations regarding the prevention of common errors in the management of this condition. Methods: This study was conducted at the Paediatric Surgery Department, The Children’s Hospital & the University of Child Health Sciences Lahore from January 2015 to December 2018. All the patients who underwent thoracotomy for congenital lobar emphysema at our center were included in the study and their charts were reviewed. Results: A total of 19 patients had been treated at our center in this duration. The mean age of patients was 2.85 ± 2.11 months. Thirteen of them (68%) were male and the most common presenting complaint (94.7%) was respiratory distress. Chest X-ray was done in all of the patients while a CT scan was needed in 11 patients (57.9%). The most involved lobe was left upper (n=15). Lobectomy was done in all patients. Post-operative ventilation was required in 2 patients (10.5%) and pneumonia developed in 2 patients (10.5%). The most significant complication was wound infection (9/19, p=<0.01). Conclusion: Our results about perioperative management are consistent, however, we received cases with misdiagnosis. We have proposed recommendations to address this issue.