dOSL,\. The major ohstack in the treatment of hydntid diseases in Turkey is the lack of patient compliance. Needless to say. the presence of only I00 mg tablet\ of mebendazole in Turkey and thc difficulty of swallowing 60 to 120 tablets at one time every day contrihutcs to the outcome. We have no experience with alhcndazole which is not ;tvailable in Turkey. We have observed complications rno\tly due to perforation of the cysts during treatment in these paticnts. Pneurnothorax. hemoptysis. fever and superimposed hacterial infection in the hydatid cyst caviiy have occurred in 11 small nurnher of patient\. Side effects due to mebendazole were infrcqucnt and consisted of throinhocytopeni;i. g;istrointestin;il irritation and alopecia. All these sidc effects were rever\ible. We have not observed allergic reactionc during treatment or after perforation of the cysts in any of the patients. Wc assume that thc follow-up of the patientc after cyst rupture is a very important part of the treatment schedule. It should he emphasized that rigid or flexible hronchoscopy may be valuable for extraction of the hydatid membrane in o ionnl patients (2 of the 43 patient.; in our series. unpublished data). Pcrcutancous aspiration of the hydatid cyst lesions in the liver and lung in conjunction with mclxml;rzolc chemotherapy is currently under investigation in our institution. Preliminary results suggest that it is ii rather simple. inexpensive and useful method Longterm results are awaited.