Current Therapies for Pulmonary Hydatid Cyst and its Complications

Aim: In this study, we aimed to investigate the first presenting complaints and operative results of patients who were operated for lung hydatid cyst and to determine the rate of co-existing liver hydatid cysts. Methods: Seventy patients who had been operated for lung hydatid cyst between 2004 and 2008 were included in the study. Clinical, radiological and surgical data of these patients were evaluated retrospectively. Results: The cyst(s) were perforated in 30 patients and were intact in 40 patients. They were right-sided in 35 patients, left-sided in 29, and bilateral lung cysts in three patients. Of the patients, 49 (70%) had undergone cystotomy and capitonage, seven patients-cystotomy, and two patients had undergone wedge resection. Of the perforated cysts, 23% presented with clinical and radiological findings of pneumothorax. Complications were observed in nine patients and the most common complication was atelectasis. Conclusion: Parenchyma-sparing surgery is a safe and effective treatment modality for lung hydatid cysts. Accompanying liver dome cysts can be intervened at the same session. The rate of cases with perforated cysts presenting to emergency clinics with findings of pneumothorax should not be overlooked.