title: Thoracoscopic treatment of pulmonary hydatid cyst in children: a report of 25 cases.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Open surgery is the standard option for the treatment of hydatid pulmonary cysts. Surgeons are able to replicate the principles of conventional surgery using minimally invasive techniques ,in particular thoracoscopy. However, there are few reports about this subject in children. To our knowledge, this is one of the biggest pediatric series ever reported in the literature. aim: the purpose of this study was to determine the best indications of the thoracospic surgery for the treatment of the pulmonary hydatid cysts in children. methods: We report a series of 25 cases with pulmonary hydatid cysts treated using the thoracoscopic approach from 2005 to 2009. We retrospectively analyzed the patients' sex, age, symptoms, biological data, characteristics of hydatid cysts (location, number and size) and the medical treatments. Pulmonary hydatid cyst diagnosis was performed on Chest x-ray, abdominal ultrasound and biological data in all the cases. Tomography was not systematic. All patients underwent video-assisted surgery. A conversion to thoracotomy was conducteded in 2 cases. All the patients had a chest tube and received an antibio-prophylaxy , without Albendazol . A concurrent hydatid cyst at the opposite lung or in the peritoneal cavity was treated later. results: There were 25 cases with a sex ratio of 2.1 and a mean age of 8 years. All the patients underwent a video-assisted surgery. A conversion to thoracotomy was performed in 2 cases because hydatid cysts were large (size > 8 cm). The average duration of the procedure was 75 minutes. In the post-operative course, one patient presented an air leak which required a prolonged chest drainage for 16 days and a second one was treated for lung infection. In all the other cases, the follow-up was uneventful.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The thoracoscopic approach for pulmonary hydatid cysts in children is feasible. For better results, it is recommended for cysts smaller than 5 cm.
authors.forename: Ksia
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Amine
authors.forename: Belhassen
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Samia
authors.forename: Chahed
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jamila
authors.forename: Ben Brahim
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Mohamed
authors.forename: Sahnoun
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lassad
authors.forename: Mosbahi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sana
authors.forename: Haggui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Besma
authors.forename: Ben Youssef
authors.initials: BY
authors.lastname: Sabrine
authors.forename: Maazoun
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kais
authors.forename: Krichene
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Imed
authors.forename: Mekki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mongi
authors.forename: Belghith
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Mohsen
authors.forename: Nouri
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Abdellatif
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000818:Animals; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D061887:Conversion to Open Surgery; D004445:Echinococcosis, Pulmonary / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000469:parasitology / Q000601:surgery*; D048209:Echinococcus granulosus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D061646:Operative Time; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D020775:Thoracic Surgery, Video-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D016896:Treatment Outcome