Hydatid Pulmonary Disease in Children: a Nine-Year Study

Hydatid disease is the most common serious infection in human beings caused by cestods and Iran is one of the endemic regions of this infection. This research has been performed to evaluate and analyze the cyst location, its diagnosis and treatment This descriptive study was performed on the patients suffering from hydatid infection who were admitted in the pediatric department of Massih Daneshvari Hospital from March 1996 to April 2004. Data in regard to age, sex, clinical signs and symptoms, radiographic findings (location and number of cysts) and type of treatment (medical or surgical) were collected and analyzed statistically. A total of 11 patients suffering from hydatid cyst were evaluated in this study. Among these, 10 were male and 1 was female. Age range of patients was between 0 to 16 years of age and the mean age was 13 years. The results of this study show that pulmonary hydatid cyst in children is more common in boys.Cough (100%), sputum (100%), and hemoptysis (54.5%) were the most common symptoms. Chest x-ray and lung CT scan were obtained in all patients. CT scan diagnosed hydatid disease in 100% of the patients. Common locations of the cyst were in the lower lobes of both lungs in 81% of the patients while in 54% it was in the lower lobe of the left lung. In 2 patients we found hydatid cyst in both lung and liver. Surgical treatment was performed in all 100% of the patients. Among these, one patient underwent pulmonary lobectomy while in the remaining 10, surgical approach with evacuation of the cyst was performed. Hydatid disease is hyperendemic in Iran, and usually patients do not seek medical advice on time. It causes high mortality in patients even with proper treatment along with high costs of management. Therefore, it is necessary for the authorities and researchers to pay more attention in this regard. In this survey, CT scan was the best and the most definitive method of diagnosis and surgical treatment along with evacuation of the cyst was the selective method of treatment in 90% of the patients in this study.