Abstract
A congenital pulmonary airway malformation (CPAM) is a rare cystic anomaly that may occur during development of the fetal airways. The vast majority of CPAMs are detected in neonates; as such, it is unusual for diagnosis to occur in adulthood. We report a 21-year-old male patient who presented to the emergency department of the Hospital Ampang, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in 2015 with chest pain, breathlessness and tachypnoea. Based on an initial chest X-ray, the patient was misdiagnosed with pneumothorax and underwent urgent chest tube insertion; however, his condition deteriorated over the course of the next three days. Further imaging was suggestive of infected bullae or an undiagnosed CPAM. The patient therefore underwent video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery, during which a large infected bulla was resected. A diagnosis of an infected CPAM was confirmed by histopathological examination. Following the surgery, the patient recovered quickly and no bullae remnants were found at a one-month follow-up.
Publication details
- DOI
- 10.18295/squmj.2018.18.04.020
- Journal
- Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal, 18(4), e541-544
- Publisher
- Sultan Qaboos University
- Open access
- Gold open access
- License
- CC BY-ND 4.0
Cite this article
APA 7
Lee, C. Y., Osman, S. S., Isa, H. M., & SA, N. (2025). A Missed Late Presentation of a Congenital Pulmonary Airway Malformation as a Large Infected Bulla. Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal, 18(4), e541-544. https://doi.org/10.18295/squmj.2018.18.04.020
MLA 9
Lee, Chung Y., et al. "A Missed Late Presentation of a Congenital Pulmonary Airway Malformation as a Large Infected Bulla." Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal, vol. 18, no. 4, 2025, pp. e541-544. https://doi.org/10.18295/squmj.2018.18.04.020.
Chicago (author–date)
Lee, Chung Y., Syazarina S. Osman, Helmee M. Isa, and Nur SA. 2025. "A Missed Late Presentation of a Congenital Pulmonary Airway Malformation as a Large Infected Bulla." Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal 18 (4): e541-544. https://doi.org/10.18295/squmj.2018.18.04.020.
Harvard
Lee, C. Y., Osman, S. S., Isa, H. M. and SA, N. (2025) 'A Missed Late Presentation of a Congenital Pulmonary Airway Malformation as a Large Infected Bulla', Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal, 18(4), pp. e541-544. doi:10.18295/squmj.2018.18.04.020.
Vancouver
Lee CY, Osman SS, Isa HM, SA N. A Missed Late Presentation of a Congenital Pulmonary Airway Malformation as a Large Infected Bulla. Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal. 2025;18(4):e541-544. doi:10.18295/squmj.2018.18.04.020
IEEE
C. Y. Lee, S. S. Osman, H. M. Isa, and N. SA, "A Missed Late Presentation of a Congenital Pulmonary Airway Malformation as a Large Infected Bulla," Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal, vol. 18, no. 4, pp. e541-544, 2025, doi: 10.18295/squmj.2018.18.04.020.