Pulmonary hydatid cyst: analysis of 1024 cases

Pulmonary hydatid cyst, a parasitic disease, is a health care problem in developing countries. In this study, we evaluated outcomes of patients with pulmonary hydatid disease who were treated in our department.

Patients admitted with a pulmonary hydatid cyst from 1981 to 2008 were enrolled in this study. Their demographic data, the sites and number of cysts, diagnostic methods, type of operation, outcomes, and recurrence rate were statistically analyzed.

Among the 1024 patients, the mean±SD age was 30.6±16.1 years, and the male/female ratio was 1.09. The most common symptom was a cough (55.1%). Only 1% of the patients were asymptomatic. Altogether, 53.8% had right-side involvement, 40.0% had left-side involvement, and 6.2% had bilateral disease. The inferior lobe was the lobe most common involved. The cyst was intact in 539 (52.6%) patients; and the others were complicated or perforated. The most common surgical technique entailed removing the cyst membrane without resecting the pericyst and closing the airways (67.2%). The cyst was enucleated in 21.2%; and parenchymal resection was performed in 10.3%. The mortality rate was 0.2%, and morbidity occurred in 8.4% of patients. The most common complications were residual spaces with prolonged air leak and wound infection. The recurrence rate was 2.5%, with most of the recurrences (82.6%) managed by surgery.

The best treatment for pulmonary hydatid cyst disease is surgery, which is associated with low mortality and morbidity rates. The most common and acceptable treatment is extraction of the cyst membrane without manipulating the pericyst and closure of small airways. Pulmonary resection should be reserved for complicated forms of the disease.