Primary bronchomalacia successfully treated with bronchopexy

Abstract

A case of a two-year-old girl with primary bronchomalacia of the left mainstem bronchus is described. The girl did not present with a history of persistent or recurrent respiratory symptoms. Instead, thorough physical examination performed due to an acute upper airway infection and coincidental discovery of unilateral lung hyperinflation on chest radiography had started a sequence of diagnostic procedures. Definitive diagnosis was made by bronchoscopy. There was complete loss of bronchial lumen during expiration. The girl underwent bronchopexy, which entails surgical suspension of the affected bronchial wall to ligamentum arteriosum. Bronchopexy proved to be effective therapeutic approach in the reported case. The suspending effect of bronchopexy is expected to last long enough to allow the affected bronchus to grow and reach the size at which malacic segment will no longer produce problems.