Chest
Volume 105, Issue 4, April 1994, Pages 1277-1279
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Selected Reports
Chest Wall Echinococcosis

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The chest wall is an uncommon localization for hydatid cyst. In this article, six patients were operated on because of chest wall hydatid cysts between the years 1989 to 1991 have been reported. Four of them had previously undergone surgery for pulmonary or hepatic hydatidosis; the chest wall was the primary site in two patients. Operative procedures for chest wall echinococcosis were cystectomy (four patients), cystotomy and evacuation (one patient), and chest wall resection (one patient). There was no mortality. Mean follow-up was 26 months (range, 14 to 36 months). No recurrence has occurred yet.

Section snippets

CASE 1

A 23-year-old woman, who had undergone thoracotomy with the diagnosis of pulmonary hydatidosis previously, was readmitted to the hospital with the complaints of pain and edema on the right arm. Computed tomographic (CT) scan revealed a cystic mass with regular boundaries, localized between the right scapula and the chest wall. The cyst had caused destruction on the medial part of the scapula. Digital subtraction angiography revealed extreme compression of the right subclavian vein (Fig 1).

Discussion

When dealing with chest wall tumors, hydatid cysts should always be suspected, despite the fact that the thoracic wall is an uncommon site for the disease, especially in the countries where echinococcosis is endemic. The annual incidence of hydatid disease has been reported to be 5 to 9 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in Spain and chest wall involvement occurs in 2.3 percent of the patients.4 In Turkey, the incidence of hydatid disease is 18 to 20 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.3 Australia,

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