Pleuropulmonary blastoma: Is prophylactic resection of congenital lung cysts effective?

Pleuropulmonary blastomas (PPB) are rare intrathoracic tumors that can deve lop in children with preexisting pulmonary cystic lesions, inferring that t he prophylactic resection of such cysts might prevent the onset of these ma lignant tumors. We report a patient who went on to develop PPB in the right lung despite having had resections for bilateral congenital pulmonary cyst s 23 months earlier. We therefore question the effectiveness of prophylacti c resection of congenital lung cysts on this basis. (C) 2001 by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons.