A Fighter Pilot Case of Pulmonary Sequestration.

Background: Pulmonary sequestration is a rare congenital malfor-mation. The diagnosis of pulmonary sequestration is based on the iden-tification of an abnormal arterial supply. Conventional treatment for pulmonary sequestration is surgical removal of the tissue, which may induce serious trauma and requires a long recovery time. Recently, en-dovascular treatment has become feasible as a safer and less invasive method to treat pulmonary sequestration. Case report: To the best of our knowledge, pulmonary sequestration has not been reported in pilots. In this study, we report a fighter pilot case of intralobar pulmonary se-questration detected with the assistance of spiral computed tomography (CT) and digital subtraction angiography. The young fighter pilot had experienced recurrent hemoptysis and pulmonary infections for approx-imately 10 yr before the pulmonary sequestration was diagnosed. We performed a transcatheter arterial embolization and a subsequent CT angiography confirmed complete infarction of the sequestration. After the treatment, no clinical complications were observed and the patient, with normal lung function restored, was qualified to serve as a fighter pilot again. Discussion: Compared with conventional removal surgery, endovascular treatment is a superior treatment for pulmonary sequestra-tion in a fighter pilot in maintenance of pilot qualification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]