Case Report

Communicating bronchopulmonary foregut malformations: Revisiting a rare entity

Abhinav C. Bhagat, Radha Sarawagi, Allen Johnson, Rajesh Malik, Anita Mathew
South African Journal of Radiology | Vol 30, No 1 | a3453 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/sajr.v30i1.3453 | © 2026 Abhinav C. Bhagat, Radha Sarawagi, Allen Johnson, Rajesh Malik, Anita Mathew | This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 07 March 2026 | Published: 18 May 2026

About the author(s)

Abhinav C. Bhagat, Department of Radiodiagnosis, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhopal, India
Radha Sarawagi, Department of Radiodiagnosis, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhopal, India
Allen Johnson, Department of Neuroimaging and Interventional Radiology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore, India
Rajesh Malik, Department of Radiodiagnosis, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhopal, India
Anita Mathew, Department of Radiodiagnosis, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhopal, India

Abstract

Communicating bronchopulmonary foregut malformations (CBPFM) are rare developmental tracheo-bronchial anomalies characterised by a patent communication between the respiratory system and upper gastrointestinal tract. Clinical diagnosis is challenging because of non-specific symptoms and overlapping clinical presentation with tracheo-oesophageal fistula. Imaging plays a key role in early diagnosis and management of this rare entity. This case report describes two cases of CBPFM, highlighting the key imaging findings on various modalities along with a brief review of literature.
Contribution: This case report underscores the typical imaging features of CBPFM and the role of imaging in differentiating it from the more common tracheo-oesophageal fistula.


Keywords

communicating bronchopulmonary foregut malformation; oesophageal lung; oesophageal bronchus; tracheo-oesophageal fistula; fluoroscopy; computed tomography; VACTERL

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