Disappearing lung echogenicity in fetal bronchopulmonary malformations: a reassuring sign?

Abstract

Congenital bronchopulmonary malformations detectable on prenatal ultrasound include cystic adenomatoid malformation (CAM), lobar sequestration, and upper airway atresia. We describe three fetuses with prenatally detected intrathoracic lesions in which the associated pulmonary hyperechogenicity disappeared before delivery. In the first case of pulmonary sequestration, the infant was asymptomatic after birth. However, in a case of CAM and another with laryngeal atresia, respiratory distress developed after delivery, despite recent scans showing apparently normal lung fields. This experience suggests that ultrasonic resolution of hyperechogenic lung lesions in utero does not necessarily indicate resolution of the underlying pathology.