Management of Pulmonary Hydatid Disease: Review of 66 Cases from Iraq*

Background: Hydatid disease is a serious health hazard and a major problem to the community in Iraq. The disease is still endemic as witnessed in everyday surgical practice. The aim of this pros-pective study was to review the management of pulmonary hydatid disease (PHD) in two major thoracic surgical centers (Ibn-Alnafis and Medical City Teaching Hospitals), Baghdad, Iraq over one year period. Materials and Methods: Sixty six patients (38 females and 28 males) with PHD admit-ted and treated surgically in the Departments of Thoracic Surgery in the aforementioned hospitals were studied. Demographic and clinical features were obtained by direct patients ’ interviews and thorough physical examination. The diagnosis in the vast majority of patients was based on plain chest radiography while few had bronchoscopy. All patients had posterolateral thoracotomy for removal of pulmonary hydatid cysts (PHC). The clinical and radiographic findings as well as oper-ative procedures and postoperative complications were reviewed. Results: The age ranged from two and a half years to 60 years with a mean of 22.3. Sixty percent of patients were in second and third decades. Most patients (n = 51, 77%) lived in rural areas. Housewives and students predominated