Widespread bilateral lung, liver, and spleen hydatid cysts

A 31-year-old female patient presented with complaints of abdominal pain, cough, and hemoptysis. Multiple cystic lesions were detected in the right lower, right upper, and left lower lobes of the lungs; right and left lobes of the liver; and spleen (Figure 1). The patient underwent surgery for bilateral lung, liver, and spleen hydatid cysts.

FIGURE 1:
(AB) Approximately 4 cm in diameter in the left lower, right lower, and upper lobes in the lung (thin arrows); (A-D) in the liver, the largest cyst is approximately 6 cm in diameter in the eighth segment, multiple hypodense in both lobes, well-defined and non-enhancing (arrowheads); (A-D) two cystic lesions, the largest of which is 6.5 cm in diameter, are observed in the spleen (thick arrow).

Hydatid cyst is a parasitic disease caused by Echinococcus granulosus that has been well known since ancient times¹. The most common organs affected by this disease are the liver, lungs, and spleen. The diagnosis of hydatid cyst is usually made by serological tests such as immunoglobulin G enzyme-linked immunoassay, hemagglutination, and imaging techniques including ultrasonography, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging². The majority of pulmonary hydatid cysts require surgical treatment. Treatment of hydatid cysts involving both the liver and spleen can be performed surgically in the same session³. In patients with hydatid cysts with multiorgan involvement, anthelmintics such as albendazole or mebendazole should be administered to reduce postoperative recurrences.

REFERENCES

• ¹
  Aydin Y, Ulas AB, Ince I, Korkut E, Ogul H, Eren S, et al. Large Case Series Analysis of Cystic Echinococcosis. Indian J Surg (2021). Online ahead of print. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12262-021-03061-0.
  » https://doi.org/10.1007/s12262-021-03061-0
• ²
  Aydin Y, Altuntas B, Kaya A, Ulas AB, Uyanık MH, Eroglu A. The Availability of Echinococcus IgG ELISA for Diagnosing Pulmonary Hydatid Cysts. Eurasian J Med. 2018;50(3):144-7.
• ³
  Aydin Y, Celik M, Ulas AB, Eroglu A. Transdiaphragmatic approach to liver and lung hydatid cysts. Turk J Med Sci. 2012;42(Sup.2):1388-93.

• Financial Support: The authors declare that the article content was composed in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  12 Aug 2022
• Date of issue
  2022

History

• Received
  13 Apr 2022
• Accepted
  06 June 2022