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Primary Hydatid Cyst of the Lung:
A Review of the Literature
1313-1315
Correspondence
Dr. Nisha J. Marla
Associate Professor, Father Muller Medical college
Kankanady , Mangalore-575004, Karnataka, India.
Phone: 9481148975
E-mail: nishajmarla@gmail.com
Hydatid cyst or Echinococcosis is one of the most important helminthic zoonotic diseases in the world. Hydatid disease remains a serious health problem in endemic countries, like India. Living in rural areas is an important risk factor for the disease. Cystic hydatid disease may develop in almost any part of the body. The lung (25%) is the second most commonly affected organ after the liver (75%). The two organs can be affected simultaneously in about 5%-13% of the cases. Primary hydatid disease indicates that the cyst in question had developed from an embryo which had been derived from a dog. Secondary hydatid disease means that a primary cyst which had been lodged elsewhere had ruptured and caused a new cyst to develop by embolism or by direct spread. The clinical presentation of hydatid disease is often non-specific and many patients may be asymptomatic. As long as 5 to 20 years may elapse before the cysts enlarge sufficiently to cause symptoms. The symptoms depend on the size and the site of the lesion and on the accessibility of the organ which is involved for the clinical examination. Serology and imaging modalities establish the diagnosis in most of the cases. Hydatid cyst should always be considered in the differential diagnosis of cystic and mass lesions of the lung in endemic areas like India. It is diagnosed by viewing the cystic membrane. The final diagnosis can be confirmed by a histopathological examination. We are hereby reporting a case of 55-year-old man with a primary hydatid cyst of the lung.