Comparison of the outcome of transverse and circumferential capitonnage in surgical treatment of pulmonary hydatid cyst - a single centre study

Background and objectives: The enucleation of the pulmonary hydatid cyst is followed by individual closure of bronchial air leaks and obliteration of the residual pericystic cavity by capitonnage, either by circumferential or interrupted transverse suture. The objective of the study was to compare the surgical outcome of transverse and circumferential capitonnage in terms of postoperative recovery course, residual cavitations, air leaks, cavitatory or pleural collections and the recurrence of primary disease after enucleation of the pulmonary hydatid cyst. Methods: Patients with pulmonary hydatid cyst were included in the study and divided into two groups. Each group consisted of 30 patients. Patients of Group-1 underwent enucleation of the hydatid cyst followed by closure of bronchial air leaks with classical circumferential closure of the cavity and patients of Group-2 had enucleation of the hydatid cyst and closure of the cavity by transverse capitonnage. Results: Ten cases (33.33%) of Group-1 had hospital stay for more than 5 days compared to 4(13.33%) in Group-2 (p=0.03). Out of 30 patients who had undergone circumferential closure of the hydatid cavity, 5 (16.67%) patients had residual cavitatory fluid collection while there was none in the other group. In Group-1, 7 (23.3%) cases had reactionary intrapleural fluid collection compared to 2 (6.6%) in Group-2 (p=0.035). After 3 months of follow-up, 4 patients in circumferential capitonnage had mild haemoptysis and 1 had aspergilloma while no such complication occurred in any patient in the transverse capitonnage group. No recurrence of cyst occurred in any case in both groups. Conclusion: There was a considerable advantage of transverse capitonnage of the hydatid lung cavity after enucleation in terms of short hospital stay, minimal or no reactionary intrapleural or intra cavitatory collections and less air leaks. IMC J Med Sci 2021; 15(2): 002 *Correspondence: Farooq Ahmad Ganie, Department of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, Soura, Srinagar -190011, J & K, India. E-mail: farooq.ganie@yamil.com