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Congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation (CCAM) of the lung is one of the rarest causes of neonatal distress. The principal radiological sign of CCAM is an intrapulmonary mass of soft tissue density, containing cystic areas of different sizes and shapes. The mass usually compresses the rest of the affected lung and displaces the mediastinum and heart to the opposite side, compressing the lung which is often therefore hypoplastic. If CCAM is diagnosed in utero by ultrasound, the treatment of choice is surgery as soon as possible after birth, with good survival rates. Sixteen cases of CCAM are presented, one with bilateral disease, diagnosed at different times, and one with an associated prune belly syndrome, to be added to the 405 already reported in the literature, and their clinical, radiological and pathological features are described.

Complement-dependent serum bactericidal activity for E. coli K12 was assessed in 12 term infants and in 16 preterm infants. In both groups of newborns, at birth, bactericidal reaction by the classical pathway of complement activation was impaired with respect to normal controls at less than 0.001 level of significance (as estimated by Student's t-test). The serum bactericidal reaction by the alternative pathway of complement activation was significantly impaired only in preterm newborns, being normal in term infants. At a time corresponding to 40 weeks' gestational age also in preterm newborns alternative pathway mediated bactericidal activity for E. coli K12 was found normal. Classical pathway mediated bactericidal activity became normal only at an age corresponding to 52 weeks' gestational age.