Bronchoscopic diagnosis of a ruptured hydatid cyst in a young male with hemoptysis.

An 18-year-old male patient, earlier diagnosed to have a right lung lesion, presented with mild, sudden onset of hemoptysis and chest discomfort. The patient's radiograph showed a consolidated area in the right upper lobe with a significant reduction in the size compared with the size 5 years earlier. Computerized tomography of the chest showed a ruptured cystic lesion in the right upper lobe. Bronchoscopy showed gelatinous, white membrane-like structures extruding from the anterior segmental bronchus of the right upper lobe bronchus. The membranes were sucked out partially, and histologic examination showed laminated membranes of a hydatid cyst. The cyst was subsequently removed surgically. Bronchoscopy can be a valuable aid in the diagnosis of a ruptured hydatid cyst of the lung.