Early resection of a rare congenital pulmonary airway malformation causing severe progressive respiratory distress in a preterm neonate: a case report and review of the literature

BACKGROUND: Congenital pulmonary airway malformations (CPAMs) are a heterogenous collection of congenital lung malformations, often diagnosed prenatally. The Stocker Type III CPAM is a rare CPAM sub-type, and, when large, may be associated with hydrops. Furthermore, reports of CPAM management which may include surgical resection in extreme preterm infants are limited. CASE PRESENTATION: We report a case of a female neonate born at 28 weeks of gestation with severe respiratory distress and diffuse pulmonary opacification on the right concerning for a large congenital lung lesion. This lesion was not detected on routine antenatal imaging, and she did not have clinical findings of associated hydrops. Her respiratory status improved dramatically after surgical resection of a mass at 12 day of age. The mass was consistent pathologically with a Stocker Type III CPAM. Lung expansion showed subsequent improvement at 16 months of age. CONCLUSIONS: Our case describes a preterm neonate with severe respiratory distress that was found postnatally to have a large, unilateral congenital lung lesion despite a normal prenatal ultrasound. Additionally, this lesion required excision early in life due to severity of respiratory compromise. This case highlights that rare congenital lung lesions, like this rare sub-type of CPAM, should remain a diagnostic consideration in neonates with severe respiratory distress. Early lung resection for CPAM in preterm infants is not well described and the favorable outcomes of this case help expand perspectives on potential management strategies.