Background: Pulmonary artery sling (PAS) is associated with tracheal
stenosis and left pulmonary artery (LPA) dysplasia in infants, which may
cause pulmonary dysplasia and lung volume variations. We aimed to assess
these altered lung volumes in patients with PAS using dual-source
computed tomography (DSCT). Methods: We retrospectively enrolled
patients with surgically confirmed PAS and compared them with matched
normal controls. All participants underwent DSCT examination. We
measured and compared the diameters of the trachea, main bronchus and
main pulmonary artery (MPA) and its branches and both lung volumes on
axial and reconstructed computed tomography images. Results: There were
no statistical differences in the diameters of MPA or right pulmonary
artery between patients and controls. The diameters of the stenosed
trachea , left and right main bronchi and LPA were smaller in the PAS
group than in the control group (p < 0.001) , and significant
differences were evident in the left lung volume (p < 0.001),
right lung volume (p = 0.008) and the right-to-left lung volume ratio (p
= 0.004) between the two groups. Pearson’s correlation and linear
regression analyses between the diameters of the trachea and MPA, total
lung volume, ipsilateral bronchial and pulmonary artery branches and
ipsilateral lung volume ranged from 0.71 to 0.87 (p < 0.001)
and 0.57 to 0.77 (p < 0.05) for the control and PAS groups,
respectively. Conclusions: Lung development is disordered in patients
with PAS, which causes not only tracheal stenosis and LPA dysplasia but
also dysplasia of both lungs.