A rare cause of pleural effusion: ruptured primary pleural hydatid cyst

Abstract

Hydatidosis is an endemic parasitic disease in Mediterranean countries, often caused by the dog tapewormEchinococcus granulosus. The disease predominantly affects the liver (60–70%) and lungs (30%), and the surgical management is considered as the gold standard for treatment. Besides anaphylactic reactions, the most frequent complication of the hydatid disease is rupture into neighbouring structures, often affecting the bronchi, gastrointestinal tract and peritoneal/pleural cavities, according to its location. Primary pleural hydatidosis is an extremely rare entity and we present a ruptured pleural hydatid cyst with unusual location.

Primary Pleural Hydatidosis—A Rare Occurrence: A Case Report and Literature Review

“…Primary pleural hydatidosis is found in less than 1% of hydatidosis cases [11]. In our case, we could not find any lesions of the pulmonary parenchyma or any other thoracic lesion.…”

A primary pleural hydatid cyst was discovered months after an undiagnosed pneumothorax: A diagnostic and therapeutic dilemma in a rare case report from Syria

“…In general, hydatid disease in the pleural cavity is secondary to lung involvement in most cases. Primary pleural hydatid disease is uncommon, with a rate of <1 %, and the number of documented cases in the medical literature is very limited compared to the rest of the cases [ 11 ]. The main reason for the growth of cysts in the pleural area is the lack of blood vessels between the layers of the pleura, which allows some electrolytes such as calcium, chloride, potassium, and other important nutrients for the growth and development of cysts to diffuse through the hydatid cyst membrane [ 12 ].…”

Huge Primary Pleural Cyst Mimicking an Exophytic Echinococcal Cyst: A Case Report

“…Extrapulmonary echinococcal cysts are unusually found in the intrapleural cavity and mimic pleural effusion, which presents with symptoms of dyspnea, coughing, fever, and chest pain [4]. Among the infrequent cases of extrapulmonary echinococcal cysts, primary pleural echinococcal cysts are particularly rare (less than 1%) [2,5]. Hepatic echinococcal cysts are usually asymptomatic because they are slow-growing and incidentally found, but cysts can rupture.…”