[Computed tomography in the diagnosis of congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation of the lung in children].

Cystic adenomatoid malformations of the lung belong to a group of abnormalities, the only treatment is surgery. This raises the question as to the earliest detection of this lung abnormality in children. Up to the present, there have been cases of late diagnosis of this abnormality masked by an inflammatory process in the lung, its abscess, and even tuberculosis lesion of lung tissue. We describe a case of cystic adenomatoid malformation of the lung in a child, by discussing the capabilities of chest computed tomography in the diagnosis of lung malformations in children. When inflammatory lung changes are found in children, it is necessary to keep in mind that these alterations may develop in the presence of the malformation. To clarify the pattern of the disease, by applying current radiodiagnostic techniques, allows the choice of optimal treatment policy and the time and volume of surgical intervention.