Hydatid disease of the lungs. Study of 386 cases.

During a 10-yr period, 386 patients with hydatid disease of the lung were treated at our hospital. There were 165 male and 221 female patients with a mean age of 30.15 + 16.9 yr. There were 286 solitary, 20 multiple, and 21 bilateral cysts. In 59 patients, the cysts included the lung and other organs; in 54, the lung and the liver; in four, the lung and the kidney; in one, the lung and the peritoneum. Diagnosis was made using clinical criteria, serologic findings, and imaging techniques; 373 patients were treated surgically. Surgical procedures consisted of cystectomy in 93 patients, pericystectomy in 166 patients, and lung resection in 114 patients. Mebendazole and flubendazole were used in three patients. Postoperative complications occurred in 44 patients (15.8%). There were two operative deaths (mortality rate, 0.53%). Patients have been followed yearly, with a median follow-up of 6 yr. Active hydatid disease has been found in two patients.