A mass was suspected during a routine prenatal ultrasound examination.
A definitive diagnosis could not be made. During the prenatal ultrasound examination a neuroblastoma was considered. The multicystic appearance however is very unusual for a neuroblastoma. Because of the microcystic appearance of the lesion and its relation to the pancreas a microcystic adenoma was also considered. This lesion however occurs mainly in adults.
The patient was referred to a pediatric university hospital where an MRI was performed (not shown). A pancreaticoblastoma was there considered to be the most likely diagnosis.
The patient was operated and to everyone's surprise the mass appeared to be none of the above mentioned lesions. The definitive diagnosis was an extrapulmonary lung sequestration.
Extrapulmonary lung sequestration is a rare lesion. In the literature a number of cases have been reported and a number of the lesions have been detected during prenatal examinations. The microcystic appearance is characteristic for the lesion. The multiple interfaces caused by the cysts can make the lesion hyperechoic on ultrasound.
Dr. Taco Geertsma is the founder of UltrasoundCases.info and a retired radiologist and has worked in the Gelderse Vallei hospital from January 1, 1983. till July 1, 2014. He was the head of the ultrasound department for many years.
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