[The pulmonary cavitary lesion: a clinical case].

: The authors describe a case of hydatid cystic disease presenting as a pulmonary excavation lesion. The peculiarity of this case consisted in the absence of the typical clinical symptoms caused by echinococcal cyst rupture into the bronchial cavity, e.g., hydatid vomica or allergic reaction to parasite antigens. The patient's work history and birthplace (he was a shepherd from Sicily), exclusion of the most frequent diseases causing lung excavation, i.e., tuberculosis, abscess, neoplasm, and his response to specific serological tests (indirect hemagglutination and immunoprecipitation) enabled proper diagnosis and successful surgical treatment. The importance of considering hydatid cystic disease in the differential diagnosis of pulmonary cavitary lesions, even in non-endemic areas and when clinical symptoms are atypical, is stressed. New diagnostic approaches and modern treatment options for hydatidosis are also discussed.