4-month-old undergoes rare lung-sparing surgery, recovers in just two days
NEW DELHI: A four-month-old baby boy has become one of the youngest reported patients to undergo a rare lung-sparing keyhole surgery at AIIMS, New Delhi, after doctors removed only the diseased segments of a lung affected by a congenital malformation involving both lungs. The child recovered without complications and was discharged within two days of the operation.
Doctors said the operation addressed only the affected portion of the right lung. Since the congenital malformation also involves the left lung, the child will undergo a second surgery in the coming months after further growth and recovery.
The infant had been diagnosed before birth with Congenital Pulmonary Airway Malformation (CPAM), a rare condition in which part of the lung develops abnormally, forming cyst-like tissue that cannot function normally. While CPAM typically affects only one lung, the baby's condition involves both lungs, making treatment far more complex. Removing an entire lung lobe, the standard approach in many such cases, could have significantly reduced the child's healthy lung tissue and affected long-term lung function.
Doctors said the operation addressed only the affected portion of the right lung. Since the congenital malformation also involves the left lung, the child will undergo a second surgery in the coming months after further growth and recovery.
The infant had been diagnosed before birth with Congenital Pulmonary Airway Malformation (CPAM), a rare condition in which part of the lung develops abnormally, forming cyst-like tissue that cannot function normally. While CPAM typically affects only one lung, the baby's condition involves both lungs, making treatment far more complex. Removing an entire lung lobe, the standard approach in many such cases, could have significantly reduced the child's healthy lung tissue and affected long-term lung function.
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