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Giant left atrium (GLA) is a rare entity in the pediatric population. GLA carries a significant mortality risk; once its existence is established, it needs to be evaluated with intention to treat. We report a 14-month-old boy with GLA presenting with symptoms of cough and stridor because of compressed airways. The child underwent successful surgical resection for the same., (Copyright © 2019 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Postpneumonectomy syndrome has classically been described as a late complication after pneumonectomy where gradually increasing shortness of breath develops secondary to mediastinal shift. We present our experience and a review of the literature demonstrating a variety of clinical scenarios that, when necessary, were successfully managed with mediastinal repositioning.

Right pneumonectomy can lead to severe respiratory impairment due to stenosis of the left main bronchus. This syndrome is usually treated by inserting a fixed-volume prosthesis but, in children, expandable prostheses have the advantage of being adaptable to growth and permit progressive recentering of the mediastinum. We report 3 such cases, with the results of pulmonary function tests. The patients were aged 11, 17, and 22 years at the time of implantation and had undergone pneumonectomy during childhood for either bronchiectasis or complete pulmonary sequestration. All 3 patients are doing well, with a follow-up of 1 to 3 1/2 years. Pulmonary function tests have shown a substantial improvement in the obstructive syndrome in 2 patients whereas, in the third patient, in whom the contralateral lung was not perfectly healthy, the functional improvement was only moderate.