Is lung cyst a serious disease?

Lung cysts are also relatively common lung cysts, mostly caused by congenital reasons. They refer to the appearance of cysts caused by some obstacles in embryonic development. They can generally be divided into lung parenchymal cysts and bronchogenic cysts. Adolescents are a high-risk group for the disease. If this type of cyst appears, they should be checked in time. Severe cases can cause great harm to patients. Treatment should be sought promptly.

Is lung cyst a serious disease?

1. Single fluid-filled and air-filled cysts are the most common. The cysts vary in size and are round, thin-walled cysts with fluid inside. This type of cyst is characterized by a thin cyst wall, no inflammatory infiltration lesions in the adjacent lung tissue, and little fibrosis. It needs to be differentiated from lung abscess, tuberculosis cavity, and pulmonary hydatid cyst. X-rays show that the wall of lung abscess is thicker and the surrounding inflammation is obvious. The tuberculosis cavity has a longer history and is surrounded by tuberculosis satellite foci. Epidemiological regional characteristics, life and occupational history, blood picture, and intradermal test can help in the identification of pulmonary hydatid cysts.

2. Single air cyst: A chest X-ray shows an air cyst in the affected lung. A huge air cyst can occupy one side of the chest cavity, compressing the lung, trachea, mediastinum, and heart, and needs to be differentiated from pneumothorax. The characteristic of pneumothorax is that the lung collapses and pushes toward the hilum, while the air in the air cyst is located within the lung, and lung tissue can often be seen at the apex and costophrenic angle upon careful observation.

3. Multiple air cysts are also common in clinical practice. Chest X-rays show multiple air cysts of different sizes and uneven edges, which need to be differentiated from multiple pulmonary bullae. Especially in children, pulmonary bullae are often accompanied by pneumonia, and are characterized by translucent round thin-walled bullae and their variability in size, number, and shape on X-rays. Many changes are seen during short-term follow-up, and sometimes the tumor can increase rapidly or rupture to form a pneumothorax. Once the lung inflammation subsides, the bullae may sometimes shrink or disappear on their own.

4. Multiple fluid and air cysts: Multiple fluid and air cavities of varying sizes can be seen on chest X-rays. Especially when the lesion is located on the left side, it needs to be differentiated from congenital diaphragmatic hernia. The latter can also present as multiple fluid levels. If necessary, oral iodized oil or dilute barium examination should be performed. If contrast agent is seen entering the gastrointestinal tract in the chest cavity, it is a diaphragmatic hernia.

Generally, if the diagnosis is clear and there is no acute inflammation, surgery should be performed early. Because cysts are prone to secondary infection, drug treatment cannot cure them. On the contrary, due to the inflammatory reaction around the cyst wall after multiple infections, it causes extensive adhesion of the pleura, making surgery more difficult and prone to complications. Young age is not an absolute contraindication to surgery. Especially for those suffering from hypoxia, cyanosis, or respiratory distress, surgery should be performed early, even emergency surgery, to save lives.

The surgical method depends on the situation:

For isolated and uninfected cysts under the pleura, simple cyst removal can be performed; for cysts confined to the edge of the lung, wedge resection can be performed; if the cyst is infected and causes surrounding adhesions or adjacent bronchial dilatation, lobectomy or pneumonectomy can be performed. For bilateral lesions, the side with the more severe lesion can be operated on first if there are surgical indications. For children, the principle is to preserve normal lung tissue as much as possible.