Pulmonary sequestration: a poorly recognized clinical syndrome

Recently I reviewed my personal records of all patients who underwent pulmonary resection at the Thoracic Surgical Department of Medical City Teaching Hospital in Baghdad between 1974 and 1994, and from such records six with pulmonary sequestration were identified. Their ages ranged from 6 months to 50 years. Two infants presented with life-threatening respiratory distress. The other group of four patients were adults and presented with recurrent chest infection. This paper illustrates the pathophsiology of pulmonary sequestration and emphasizes the urgency of precise diagnosis and surgical management of this poorly recognized clinical entity