Diagnosis of Bronchopulmonary Sequestration

Your OB/GYN will typically diagnose bronchopulmonary sequestration (extra tissue on or in the lung) during an ultrasound before your baby is born. If your baby has this condition, you will likely need to undergo more frequent prenatal ultrasounds to monitor the tissue. Sometimes, the extra lung tissue shrinks during pregnancy.

Treatments for Bronchopulmonary Sequestration

If your baby has bronchopulmonary sequestration without any other health issues, your pregnancy will likely proceed normally, and you will deliver the baby at or around 40 weeks pregnant.

If your baby has an intralobar (inside a lung) bronchopulmonary sequestration or a large extralobar (next to a lung) pulmonary sequestration, they may need surgery soon after birth to remove the unnecessary lung tissue. Your baby will likely spend time in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), so they can be monitored and undergo appropriate testing to determine if surgery is necessary.

During surgery, your baby will be under general anesthesia (fully asleep). Your baby’s surgeon will make an incision (cut) in your baby’s chest to remove the extra lung tissue. The cut will then be closed with stitches and covered with a bandage until it heals. Your baby will typically stay in the NICU for several days following the surgery for close monitoring. They may have a tube placed in their chest, which will be removed a few days after surgery. Most babies who have surgery recover fully and have normal lung function for the rest of their lives.

If your baby has a smaller pulmonary sequestration that is not causing breathing problems, sometimes surgery can wait until the child is 2 or 3 years old. Some extralobar bronchopulmonary sequestrations will not require surgery.