title: Methods of surgical therapy in pulmonary hydatid disease: is capitonnage advantageous?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Hydatid disease of the lungs is still a serious health problem for some Mediterranean countries. The best surgical therapy for the treatment of this disease is still unclear. In this clinical retrospective study, we aimed to investigate whether capitonnage is an effective therapy method for a pulmonary hydatid cyst or not.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between 1990 and 2004, 89 patients (49 male and 40 female) each with a pulmonary hydatid cyst were treated surgically. The patients were divided into two groups based on whether capitonnage was carried out (group 1, n = 44) or not (group 2, n = 45). Cystotomy and the closure of the bronchial openings were carried out in both groups. The results were assessed in two groups during a 1 year follow-up period. The groups were comparable with regards to their clinical, operative and demographic characteristics.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was no mortality, and no significant difference in hospitalisation time between the two groups. It was 8.2 +/- 3.2 days for group 1 and 8 +/- 3.1 days for group 2 (P = 0.89). The most serious complications were restricted bronchopleural fistula (only one patient in group 2), empyema (only one patient in group 1 and two patients in group 2), and prolonged air leak (five patients in group 1 and six patients in group 2). These results were not valuable statistically (P = 1.00, P = 1.00 and P = 0.78, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We conclude that it is not an advantage to carry out capitonnage when treating pulmonary hydatid cysts.
authors.affiliation: Akdeniz University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Thoracic Surgery, Antalya, Turkey. erdogana@akdeniz.edu.tr
authors.forename: Abdullah
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Erdogan
authors.forename: Arife
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ayten
authors.forename: Abid
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Demircan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001980:Bronchi / Q000601:surgery; D004445:Echinococcosis, Pulmonary / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D013510:Pulmonary Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods