A missed foreign body aspiration masquerading as congenital pulmonary airway malformation in a nine-year-old boy: A case report and literature review

Although airway foreign body aspiration (FBA) is a common occurrence in any age group, unrecognized and retained foreign bodies in lungs may result in severe complications, such as lung abscess or bronchiectasis. In rare cases, FBA may present with similar clinical features as many other diseases (e.g. asthma, tumor, pulmonary eosinophilia). Here, we report a rare case of missed FBA in a nine-year-old boy, whose chest CT scan was suggestive of a cavitary lesion in the left lower lobe mimicking congenital pulmonary airway malformation (CPAM). However, surprisingly, flexible bronchoscopy revealed a peanut lodged in the lateral basal segment of left lower lobe, which was subsequently retrieved by a forceps and avoided unnecessary surgical lobectomy. Therefore, FBA can mimic other disorders (e.g. CPAM), and a high index of suspicion and additional diagnostic techniques (e.g. flexible bronchoscopy) may be required to distinguish them. Additionally, FBA should be considered in the differential diagnosis of respiratory disorders in children even lack of aspiration history.