Pulmonary hydatid cyst: Review of literature

Abstract

Echinococcosis is a rare infectious disease in human being that occurs by the larval stages of taeniid cestodes of the genus Echinococcus. Human cystic echinococcosis is the most common presentation. The liver is the most common site of echinococcal cyst, followed by the lungs. The symptoms of lung infestation lead to sudden onset of chest pain, cough, fever, and hemoptysis after a cyst rupture. The diagnosis is confirmed by radiology supplemented with serology. Chest X-ray and computer tomography of chest is the principal investigation for pulmonary hydatid cyst (PHC). The treatment of PHCs is either pharmacotherapy and/or surgery. Surgical intervention is the most preferred treatment of choice; pharmacotherapy is useful in selected patients. Pharmacotherapy includes oral administration of benzimidazoles group of drugs like mebendazole or albendazole.

Surgical management of pulmonary hydatid cysts in children in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa

“…There is a risk for hydatid cyst to recur; thus, some surgeons advocate for postoperative medical therapy to reduce the risk of recurrence. [4,5,8,18] There were no recurrences and mortality in this study; however, the follow-up period was short. Previous studies have found that recurrence rates varied between 4.6% and 22% after surgical management.…”

“…Serology is likely to be positive when multiple cysts are present, not for an isolated cyst. [5] Exposure to animals such as cats, dogs, sheep and cattle is a well-known risk factor for hydatid disease. [8] Most of the cases (94.7%) in this study were from the rural areas of KZN and EC provinces and had a history of exposure to these animals.…”

“…This ensures that the maximum amount of viable lung is maintained while ensuring complete removal of all viable parasite material. [2][3][4][5][6][7][8]10] Different surgical procedures have been described in the literature, such as enucleation (Ugon method) with or without capitonnage, [4] pericystectomy (Perez-Fontana method), [5] cystotomy with capitonnage (Barrett's method), [2] cystostomy with the closure of the bronchial openings alone, [11] open aspiration by the Figuera technique, [10] and lung resection (i.e. wedge resection, segmentectomy and lobectomy).…”

“…[2,4] Four species of Echinococcus have been identified (recent literature states six species are recognised); however, E. granulosus and E. multilocularis are the most important species that are infective to humans and cause cystic and alveolar echinococcosis, respectively. [1,5] The World Health Organization estimates that >1 million people become infected with Echinococcus spp. annually worldwide.…”

“…[1,3,7] Symptoms of pulmonary hydatid disease include cough, chest pains, fever, dyspnoea and rarely expectoration of salty material. [3][4][5] However, the rupture of the cyst into either the airways or pleural space may result in haemoptysis or pleural effusion, which usually complicates into an empyema. Chest radiography and computed tomography (CT) scan of the chest and upper abdomen are usually the imaging modalities used to achieve the diagnosis of pulmonary hydatidosis.…”