Introduction: The pulmonary hydatid disease has not been the subject of many studies in Mali.
Objective: List the cases hydatid cyst of the lung operated on in Mali, in order to analyze their surgical aspects.
Methods and patients: This is a retrospective study of consecutive and non-selected cases. From 1960 to 2000, eleven cases of the pulmonary hydatid disease were operated on in Mali. The earliest case dates back to 1968 and the most recent was in 2000. All of these patients were taken care of at the "Point G Hospital" in Bamako.
Results: Patients were aged between 4 and 42 years, with an estimated average at 20. The gender ratio (F/M) was 1.75. The circumstance leading to the discovery stems from 8 cases of cough. Seven patients had at least a sign of complicated cyst. Out of a total of 12 cysts, 9 were located to the right lung. The treatment of the cyst consisted in a kystectomy accompanied by an atypical resection of the parenchyma on 6 patients and a typical resection of the attacked lobe on 5 others. The operating effects were complicated in 5 cases. No mortality was reported. Anatomopathology confirmed pulmonary hydatidosis in all cases.
Conclusion: Paradoxically, the frequency of pulmonary hydatidosis is low in Mali. Patients were consulted late. This explains in part the high level of lobectomy during surgical treatment.