Imaging spectrum of horseshoe lung: A series of four cases

Abstract

Horseshoe lung (HL) is a rare congenital anomaly represented by the fusion of both lungs, posterior to the heart, and is typically associated with various bronchopulmonary and cardiovascular malformations. Multi-detector contrast enhanced CT is the imaging modality of choice to demonstrate the pathology and associated malformations. There has been inconsistency in the nomenclature used for such cases in literature. To resolve ambiguity, the authors emphasise that only two terms: HL and pseudo-HL be used on imaging to describe variants of this congenital malformation.

Contribution: A description of the imaging features in four cases of HL, with their associated malformations and a review of the nomenclature.

Keywords: congenital lung anomaly; horseshoe lung; lung hypoplasia; pseudo-horseshoe lung; scimitar syndrome.