Diagnosis and management of hydatid disease of the liver at King University Hospital

ABSTRACT

34 patients with hydatid disease of the liver were surgically treated at King Khalid University Hospital, Riyadh, from 1983 to 1986. Diagnosis was made on clinical examination, Casoni's test, serology and imaging technique. 26 patients [76.4%] had a cyst in the right lobe, two had a cyst confined to the left lobe of liver, and the remaining six patients had cysts in both lobes. A communication of the cyst with the biliary tree was observed in one patient. The surgical procedures used were endocystectomy with tube drainage [22/34], endocystectomy with primary obliteration of the cavity [4/34], endocystectomy with omentoplasty [4/34], and total pericystectomy with partial resection of liver [4/34]. In our experience, endocystectomy with drainage is a safe procedure and can be applied in any position of the cyst in the liver. Morbidity and complication rates can be minimized to a great extent by early removal of the tube. There was no mortality in our series and the average hospital stay was 15 days