Evaluation of clinical status, diagnosis, treatment and radiological findings of pulmonary hydatid cyst: 5-years' experience at tertiary lung center

Hydatidosis is one of the most critical worldwide parasitic zoonotic diseases. The lung is the second most common site of hydatidosis. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical status, diagnosis, treatment, and radiological findings of pulmonary hydatid cyst in patients referred to tertiary lung center.

From April 2014 to July 2019, patients referred to Masih Daneshvari University Medical Center with the impression of alveolar hydatidosis included. Demographic data of 304 patients were collected including clinical symptoms, laboratory studies, radiological findings, location of the lung involvement, and cyst characteristics. Also, surgical procedures, medical treatments, and post-operative complications were recorded.

Pulmonary hydatidosis was confirmed for 234 patients. 55% of patients were males with the mean age of 45.1±16.6 years. The most common symptoms were cough (59.8%), dyspnea (31.1%), and hemoptysis (26%). Left lung, right lung, and bilateral involvement were reported in 40.1%, 55.1%, and 4.8% of cases, respectively. Cyst perforation (39.8%) was the most common intra-operative finding. Surgical interventions included thoracotomy, rigid bronchoscopy, cyst aspiration, and enucleation. The liver was the most concomitant organ involved due to pulmonary hydatidosis (16.6%). The most common postoperative complication was atelectasis, with the rate of 35.7%. 52.2% of patients were discharged within 10 days after surgery. No mortality was reported.

Sometimes atypical findings in different imaging modalities make the hydatid cyst diagnosis challenging. Although lobe involvement more than 50% has the indication for lobectomy, we conserved lobes with about 70% involvement in our institution, and patients had no postoperative complications.