Hydatid cyst, an unusual cause of spontaneous hemothorax and diagnostic thoracoscopy: case report

Hydatid disease is a common parasitic disease in areas where sheep and cattle are raised and is currently endemic in the eastern and southwestern parts of Turkey. Patients with hydatid cysts typically present with cough, chest pain, dyspnea, hemoptysis, or allergic reactions. When ruptured, these cysts may cause hemoptysis, dyspnea, and hydatid thorax. Previously published series of cyst hydatid have reported cyst hydatid rupture and hemothorax secondary to trauma, but nontraumatic hemothorax due to spontaneous rupture of hydatid cyst has not been defined. We discuss the clinical features of a patient with no history of trauma who presented to the emergency department with hemoptysis and dyspnea and was found to have hemothorax due to spontaneous rupture of the hydatid cyst on videothoracoscopic investigation and underwent thoracotomy for hydatid disease treatment.