Spectrum of pulmonary sequestration.

Bronchopulmonary sequestration was diagnosed in 17 patients ranging in age from newborn to 64 years. The sequestration was intralobar in 14 patients and extralobar in 3. The spectrum of symptoms could be divided into three patterns: no symptoms (6 patients), respiratory problems (8 patients), and cardiovascular problems (3 patients). Cardiovascular problems usually manifest themselves in the first few weeks or months of life and often have a respiratory component. In older patients the sequestration is first manifested by recurrent pulmonary infections or, if it remains uninfected, an asymptomatic density on chest roentgenogram. The definitive diagnostic study is arteriography. Operative treatment for the intralobar variety consists of segmental resection or, if the inflammatory process is more extensive, lobectomy. An extralobar sequestration may simply be excised.