Evaluation of pulmonary hydatid cyst cases

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The incidence of pulmonary hydatid cyst has been high in developing countries such as Turkey. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical presentation, treatment and outcomes of pulmonary hydatid cyst disease at a tertiary centre. METHODS: A total of 138 patients, aged between 9 and 72 years with pulmonary hydatid cyst were diagnosed between 2000 and 2008 in 2nd thoracic surgery clinic at our hospital. Clinical characteristics of patients, epidemiological features, cyst diameters and localizations, laboratory findings, surgical approaches were recorded and analyzed. RESULTS: The most frequent symptoms of pulmonary hydatid cyst were chest pain and cough (44.9%, 37.6%). According to cyst size, there was no difference between younger than twenty and older age groups (p>0.05). Twenty-two patients had complicated cyst cases. Most of them were symptomatic (90.9%). Association of complicated cyst with hepato-pulmonary involvement was significantly higher as compared with single hydatid cyst (p=0.01). Cystectomy was performed in 84.05% of patients and post-operative mortality was seen in only one patient due to pulmonary embolism. CONCLUSION: Association of lung and liver hydatid cyst increased the risk of occurrence of a complicated pulmonary hydatid cyst. Choice of surgical approach had satisfactory results and post-operative mortality was low.