Pulmonary hydatid cyst

Case contributed by Ammar Haouimi
Diagnosis almost certain

Presentation

Chronic cough.

Patient Data

Age: 40 years
Gender: Female
ct

Well-defined oval-shaped left lung mass of homogeneous density with no effacement of the left heart border indicating most likely its posterior location.

Right lung is clear.

No evidence of pleural effusion.

ct

Large well-defined thin-walled cystic mass of the left upper lobe centered on the apico-posterior segment with homogeneous fluid content (mean density = -2 HU). No air within the cyst or surrounding lung consolidation. Moderate adjacent pleural retraction with prominent extrapleural fat as well as minimal reactive pleural effusion.

On ultrasound (not shown), no other cystic lesion was seen in the liver, spleen, or kidneys.

Case Discussion

CT features of a large pulmonary cyst in a patient with chronic cough most consistent with hydatid cyst (serologically proven).

The lung is the second most common site of involvement with echinococcosis granulosus in adults after the liver (10-30% of cases) and the most common site in children. The coexistence of liver and lung disease is present in only 6% of patients.

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