Intrathoracic hydatid disease experience at King Hussein Medical Center

Abstract EN

Objective : To present our experience in the management of intrathoracic hydatid disease at King Hussein Medical Center.

Methods : Between January 1987 and January 2000, a total number of 80 patients were operated upon at the thoracic surgery department, King Hussein Medical Center, for intrathoracic hydatid disease.

Forty-eight patients were males and 32 females.

Their age ranged from 7-80 years, with a mean age of 35 years.

The disease was located in the right side in 40 cases, in the left in 26, mediastinal in 8 and bilateral pulmonary in 6 patients.

Total number of operations was 86.

Simultaneous pulmonary and hepatic hydatid were seen in 6 cases.

All patients were operated upon through a posterolateral thoracotomy incision; bilateral disease was treated by staged operation.

The surgeries performed were cyst enucleation and capitonnage, removal of cyst after aspiration, removal of ruptured cyst and lobectomy.

In one case bilateral hydatid cysts were removed through a left thoracotomy.

Coexisting liver disease was removed trans-diaphragmatically when it was accessible.

Results : Four percent of the patients were misdiagnosed; patients were followed up for 10-65 months.

Mortality was nil.

Complication rate was 7.5 %.

Conclusion: Hydatid disease is common in the Mediterranean countries.

Chest X-ray is a simple, rapid, and reliable diagnostic procedure.

Surgery is still the treatment of choice, with maximum preservation of the lung tissue.