[The surgical treatment of pulmonary and associated echinococcosis in childhood].

Over a nine-year period (1990-1998), a total of 196 children with pulmonary and associated hydatid disease, aged 2 to 16 years, undergo treatment in the Department of Pediatric Thoracic Surgery--Emergency Medicine Institute "N. I. Pirogov"--Sofia. One hundred thirty children (62.1%) present isolated, and sixty-six (38.8%)--associated hydatid disease, of which with localization in the liver (63 cases), brain (1), kidney (1) and spleen (1). The pulmonary cysts are located in the left lung in 96 cases (48.9%), right lung--79 (40.3%) and bilateral involvement--21 (10.8%). In 74 children the disease runs an asymptomatic course, in 128 (65.3%)--with fever and cough, and in 65 (33.1%)--with thoracic pain. On admission 183 children (94.4%) are in a satisfactory and good general condition; 13 with complications in the cyst and pleural cavity are in a serious general condition accompanied by respiratory failure. In 129 children diagnosis is made on the ground of x-ray study, in 40 CAT study is additionally performed, and in 24--ultrasonography. Of 22 children with bilateral pulmonary location, 13 (59.9%) undergo operation in two stages, and nine (40.1%)--in one stage, with bilateral thoracotomy done in seven, and sternotomy in two instances. Intraoperatively more than one echinococcus cysts are discovered in 23 cases (11.7%). In 105 children (53.5%) echinococcotomy is performed, in 67 (34.2%)--atypical resection, in 8 (4.1%)--lobectomy, in 15 (7.6%)--segmentectomy and in one--pneumonectomy. In the early postoperative period, one child develops hemothorax from a bleeding intercostal artery, and another one--pneumothorax from unsutured bronchus in the cyst bed necessitating emergency re-thoracotomy. The outcome is fatal in one patient with malignant hyperthermia, and the remainder are discharged clinically cured.