INTRAUTERINE THORACENTESIS OF FETAL CYSTIC LUNG MALFORMATIONS

Fetal pulmonary malformations comprise a rare but often lethal group o f congenital anomalies. Until recently, diagnosis and therapy were dir ected postnatally and therefore some cases of fetal compromise were in evitably missed. We present 2 cases in which intermittent thoracentesi s of fetal cystic lung malformations resulted in a successful outcome. Intrauterine thoracentesis should be considered in the second and thi rd trimester of pregnancy in cases which demonstrate early fetal compr omise.