ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Surg.
Sec. Thoracic Surgery
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fsurg.2025.1664976
Thoracoscopic Capitonnage for Pulmonary Hydatid Cysts: The Predictors of Prolonged Air Leak What Will Happen After Capitonnage of Pulmonary Hydatid Cysts?!
Provisionally accepted
- 1College of Medicine, University of Sulaimani, Sulaymaniyah, Iraq
- 2Smart Health Tower, Sulaymaniyah, Iraq
- 3Kscien organization, Sulaymaniyah, Iraq
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Objectives Pulmonary hydatid cysts (PHCs) represent a serious zoonotic disease that requires prompt intervention because of their potential complications. However, capitonnage Capitonnage is one of the most common performed techniques; however,; controversies surround its role in managing pulmonary hydatid cysts (PHCs). The present study aims to evaluate lung parenchyma using computed tomography (CT) scans 48 hours after capitonnage of PHCs performed via VATS. Methods Fifty-six patients with suspected PHCs on CT scans between 2021 and 2023 were included, while we excluded patients with risk factors for prolonged air leak (PAL), patients with other organ involvement, those presenting with emergency conditions, and those younger than 12 years old. All patients with suspected PHCs on CT scans were included. Patients with risk factors for prolonged air leak (PAL), patients with other organ involvement, those presenting with emergency conditions, and those younger than 12 years old were excluded. They underwent CT scans 48 hours after capitonnage of PHCs performed via VATS. Results The CT scans revealed residual cavities in all 56 patients (100%), ranging in size from 2 to 12 cm. There was a collapse consolidation involving the affected lobe in all of the cases (100%). Eight patients (14%) experienced PAL; one patient (12.5%) had an intact cyst, while the other seven cases (87.5%) had ruptured cysts (p-value <0.001). There was no significant difference in cavity size between patients who developed PAL and those without PAL (Pp-value: 0.07), while patients with larger areas of consolidation tended to have PAL (Pp-value: 0.001). Conclusions The PAL is more likely caused by collapse consolidation rather than residual cavities left after the procedure. Additionally, ruptured cysts can significantly contribute to the complication of PAL.
Keywords: hydatid disease, Echinococcosis, VATS, Cystotomy, Capitonnage, Atelectasis
Received: 02 Aug 2025; Accepted: 13 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Kakamad. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Fahmi Kakamad, fahmi.hussein@univsul.edu.iq
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