Abstract

Background – Hydatid cysts are caused by infection with a tapeworm parasite called Echinococcus granulosus. They are usually located in the liver and lungs. This is a case-report of a mediastinal hydatid cyst. Although many uncommon locations of this disease are reported in the medical literature, only a few papers mention this type of lesion in the mediastinum.
Case summary - We report the case of a mediastinal cyst in a 58-year-old Belgian female patient presenting chest pain, dry cough and dyspnea during the last four weeks. She was travelling to Tunisia two months prior to her admission. The diagnosis is suspected by Ultrasound coupled with CT-scan and confirmed by the surgical findings and the histopathological study. Therapeutic attitude was aggressive (cyst excision surgery), in order to avoid any complication or degeneration among the surrounding vital structures.
Conclusion- Mediastinal hydatid cysts are extremely rare and must be considered in the differential diagnosis of the cystic masses of the mediastinum even in non-endemic area, due to tourism and current important migration movements across Europe. Chest scan is the preferred imaging tool in diagnosis. Surgical removal of the cyst is the most common treatment.

Key words: hydatid cyst, mediastinum, echinococcus granulosus