Discussion
Diagnosis With Brief Discussion
- Diagnosis
- Hydatid cyst
- Radiologic Findings
- Fig 1. Chest PA shows an approximately 2-cm, well-circumscribed and lobulated nodular opacity in the right para-cardiac area of the right lower lobe.
Fig 2. Chest CT images show an approximately 1.7-cm, well-defined, lobulated cystic nodule in the subpleural region of the right lower lobe without obvious enhancement. There are no enlarged lymph nodes in the mediastinum.
Fig 3. Abdominal CT image shows an approximately 5.5-cm, well-defined cystic mass in S5 of the liver, without internal septa or calcification.
CT, computed tomography.
Video-assisted thoracoscopic wedge resection was performed from the right lower lobe. On gross examination, the lesion was a well-demarcated, whitish, soft mass (2×1.5 cm). The final pathological diagnosis was unilocular cyst containing laminated membranes, favoring hydatid cyst.
Liver segmentectomy was also performed, and the pathological diagnosis was Echinococcosis hydatid cyst.
- Brief Review
- Hydatid disease is a parasitic disease produced by the larval stage of the Echinococcus tapeworm. This disease occurs usually in the Mediterranean region, Africa, South America, the Middle East, Australia, and New Zealand. Dogs are the definitive hosts of Echinococcus tapeworms. Sheep, goat, and swine are intermediate hosts. Humans might become intermediate hosts by contacting a definitive host or ingesting contaminated water or vegetables. The eggs of the parasites pass through the intestinal wall, lodge in various organs via the portal venous system, and then form cystic lesions (hydatid cysts). The common sites of disease are the liver (75%) and lung (15%). Occasionally, it could involve the spleen, brain, heart, and kidneys. Pulmonary hydatid cysts are most common in the lower lobes (60%). They present in multiples in 30% of cases and bilaterally in 20% of cases. Typical findings are well-defined cystic lesions with fluid attenuation, homogenous content and smooth, hyperdense walls. Calcification is very rare in pulmonary cysts. Clinical symptoms depend on the location and size of cystic lesions. For small cysts, medical treatment (Albendazole) could be applied for the treatment. However, for large cysts, surgical resection should be considered.
- References
- 1. Pedrosa I, Saiz A, Arrazola J, Ferreiros J, Pedrosa CS. Hydatid disease: radiologic and pathologic features and complications. Radiographics : a review publication of the Radiological Society of North America, Inc. 2000;20(3):795-817.
2. Turgut AT, Altin L, Topcu S, Kilicoglu B, Aliinok T, Kaptanoglu E, et al. Unusual imaging characteristics of complicated hydatid disease. European journal of radiology. 2007;63(1):84-93.
3. Garg MK, Sharma M, Gulati A, Gorsi U, Aggarwal AN, Agarwal R, et al. Imaging in pulmonary hydatid cysts. World journal of radiology. 2016;8(6):581-7.
- Keywords
- Lung, Infection, Parasitic infection,