ABSTRACT
Actual prevalence of human hydatid disease is unknown in Chile. Some studies indicate that accepted prevalence is underestimated in this country. Previous works in the IX Region of Chile have determined that 0.833 percent of symptomatic patients submited to abdominal ultrasound (US) examination had an hydatid cyst in the liver. This paper attempts to extend these studies to evaluate this problem further in Temuco, Chile. A prospective protocol was prepared including all those patients found to have cystic lesions observed during routine abdominal US examination. From august 1992 until august 1993. 1,485 exams were performed with an Aloka SSD 620 ecocammera and a convexe electronic 3.5 Mhz transducer. A serum sample was taken to all patients with and cystic lesion, observed that entered the protocol to investigate specific antibodies against Echinococcus granulosus with an ELISA IgG determination. A follow up policy recorded hydatid cysts found in all patients who had surgery. In 98 patients (6.6 percent) a cystic lesion was found: hepatic 32 kidney 54, spleen 2, lung 1, pelvic 2, pancreas 1 and polycystic disease in 6. Hydatid disease was confirmed in 14 cases (14.3 percent of all lesions observed): 12 from liver, 1 from spleen and the lung case. Thus hydatid cysts were found in 0.943 percent of all patients in this study, illustrating the real importance of this zoonosis in this region of Chile