Hydatid cysts in uncommon locations in the same patient: simultaneous cardiac and spinal involvement

Minim Invasive Neurosurg. 2008 Aug;51(4):234-6. doi: 10.1055/s-2008-1080904.

Abstract

Introduction: The spine and cardiac cavities are uncommon locations for hydatid disease. Spinal and cardiac hydatid cases separately constitute only 0.5-1% of all hydatid cases. We reported a case with spinal and cardiac involvement simultaneously. Clinical and radiological findings of this unique case are discussed.

Case report: A thirty-four-year-old male patient was admitted to hospital with pain at the low back and left thigh. He had undergone surgery for lumbosacral hydatidosis twice before. Cysts had been removed totally in the last operation. The disease relapsed with widespread involvement of the sacropelvic region. During the investigation, we diagnosed a cyst in the cardiac cavity, incidentally. The cyst in the cardiac cavity was removed totally.

Discussion: Hydatid disease is still an endemic disease in South America and some Mediterranean countries including Turkey. Cysts rarely involve the spine and cardiac cavities. The simultaneous involvement of the sacropelvic region and the cardiac cavity is an extremely rare condition. Cardiac cysts have a poor prognosis. Prompt surgical extraction of the cyst is a critical mainstay of the management.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Animals
  • Anthelmintics / therapeutic use
  • Cardiac Surgical Procedures
  • Disease Progression
  • Echinococcosis / diagnosis*
  • Echinococcosis / drug therapy
  • Echinococcosis / surgery
  • Echinococcus granulosus / isolation & purification
  • Heart / parasitology*
  • Heart Diseases / diagnosis*
  • Heart Diseases / drug therapy
  • Heart Diseases / surgery
  • Heart Ventricles / parasitology
  • Heart Ventricles / pathology
  • Heart Ventricles / surgery
  • Humans
  • Low Back Pain / parasitology
  • Low Back Pain / pathology
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • Male
  • Prognosis
  • Recurrence
  • Sacrum / parasitology
  • Sacrum / pathology*
  • Spinal Canal / parasitology
  • Spinal Canal / pathology
  • Spinal Diseases / diagnosis*
  • Spinal Diseases / drug therapy
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed
  • Treatment Outcome
  • Turkey

Substances

  • Anthelmintics