Hydatid cyst disease is still a problem in Turkey, especially in the east Anatolian region, as well as in many other places in the world. A retrospective review was made of the surgical treatment of 30 patients with pulmonary hydatid cysts during the last 3 yrs. Nineteen patients were male and 11 female with an average age of 23.5 yrs (range 4-44 yrs). Cystotomy and capitonnage were performed in 28 of the 30 cases (93.4%). The transdiaphragmatic route or simultaneous laparotomy was preferred when the liver was involved. Albendazole was used in four patients with multiple hydatid cyst due to probable recurrence in the postoperative period. Cough and chest pain were the prominent symptoms in the majority of cases. A single lobe was affected in 22 patients. Unilateral multiple foci were present in four patients and bilateral multiple foci in four. Six patients had concomitant liver cysts. Morbidity was low and no mortality was seen. No recurrences were seen on control chest radiographs during the last 2-yr follow-up. In the treatment of hydatid cyst of the lung, conservative surgical methods such as cystotomy and capitonnage still remain the treatment of choice. Medical treatment could be used for prophylactic purposes and in some instances, but the percutaneous aspiration method should not be performed.

Hydatid cyst (HC) is a parasitic disease that may involve many organs, especially the lung and the liver. Pulmonary artery location of the hydatid cyst is extremely rare, but it may cause life-threatening complications. We report a case of a hydatid cyst that completely filled the left main pulmonary artery and its distal part without cardiac involvement. Thoracic computed tomography showed filling defects in the pulmonary arteries. Endobronchial ultrasound was performed for differential diagnosis and it showed a cystic lesion. Hydatid cyst-specific IgE and hem agglutination test results were positive. In the literature, cases like this in which the diagnosis of pulmonary hydatid cyst is made by endobronchial ultrasound are not usually seen. Although many imaging modalities such as plain chest radiography, cross-sectional imaging (MDCT and MRI), echocardiography and conventional pulmonary angiography have been used in the diagnostic approach, we recommend endobronchial ultrasound for the differential diagnosis of cases with cystic formation.