Communicating bronchopulmonary pancreatic foregut malformation

Bronchopulmonary foregut malformations include intralobar and extralobar pu lmonary sequestrations, bronchogenic cysts, and communicating bronchopulmon ary foregut malformations (CBPFM). These malformations, formes frustes, ori ginate as developmental abnormalities of ventral foregut budding of the tra cheobronchial tree or the gastrointestinal tract. The communication's paten cy with the parent viscus determines if a contained malformation occurs, or if an abnormal communication persists as a CBPFM. This case demonstrates a unique example of a CBPFM in which the main pancreatic duct communicated w ith pulmonary parenchyma through a retroperitoneal fistula. (C) 1999 by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons.