Abstract
Objective:
Pneumatoceles are gas-filled cysts within the lung parenchyma resulting mostly from ventilator-induced lung injury and air-leak in premature infants with respiratory distress syndrome. The use of surfactant in the treatment of respiratory distress syndrome has resulted in a decrease in the incidence of air-leak disease. Our aim was to study the incidence and clinical course of pneumatoceles in the surfactant era.
Study Design:
A retrospective study of infants born at ⩽30 weeks gestational age was admitted to the University of Connecticut Health Center NICU from 1998 to 2007. Pneumatoceles and other intrathoracic air-leaks were identified and comparisons were made with infants without these conditions.
Result:
Pneumatoceles were identified in 19 preterm infants, born at gestational age ⩽30 weeks, needing positive pressure ventilation for respiratory distress syndrome between the years 1998 to 2007. Pneumatoceles appeared early (median, 7th day of life; range, 1st to 28th day of life) and usually resolved with decrease in mean airway pressure (median, 4 days; range, 3 to 125 days). The majority of pneumatoceles were located in the right parahilar region (18/19). Associated intrathoracic air-leaks were pulmonary interstitial emphysema (5/19), pneumothorax (10/19), and pneumomediastinum (1/19). None of the infants required any invasive procedures to alleviate the pneumatoceles. In infants who survived, most pneumatoceles resolved with a decrease in mean airway pressure or extubation (14/15). One infant had a persistent pneumatocele for 125 days without any cardiopulmonary compromise and five infants died as a result air-leaks along with other complications of prematurity.
Conclusion:
Pneumatoceles are a manifestation of intrathoracic air-leaks of prematurity. They are markers for ventilator-induced lung injury and are associated with significant mortality similar to other intrathoracic air-leaks. However, conservative management with reduction in mean airway pressure is effective in the resolution of this condition and interventional decompression of the pneumatocele is generally not necessary.
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Acknowledgements
We thank Marta Barker and Ann Fracasso, from the neonatal database management team for their assistance with data search and retrieval.
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Hussain, N., Noce, T., Sharma, P. et al. Pneumatoceles in preterm infants—incidence and outcome in the post-surfactant era. J Perinatol 30, 330–336 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/jp.2009.162
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/jp.2009.162
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