HYDATID CYST – DIFFERENT ORGAN INVOLVEMENT: A PROSPECTIVE AND RETROSPECTIVE STUDY

Abstract

Hydatid disease/ hydatidosis is an endemic disease in sheep rearing countries. It has a world wide distribution and poses an important public health problem that is influenced by people’s socioeconomic status and migration which spreads this disease. It is caused by the larval form of Echinococcus granulosus. The main host being the dog, the intermediate hosts are sheep, cattle, pigs and horses. Hydatid disease manifests when man becomes an accidental intermediate host. All sites of the body can be possible locations of the parasite. The most common sites are the liver followed by lung, kidney, bone and brain with the rare sites being breast, adrenals, heart, intra arterial, broad ligament and others. We conducted a retrospective and prospective study of different organ involvement of hydatid cyst reported in our department. The study spanned over a period of sixteen years and seven months, from March 1993 - October 2009. 34 specimens were received in the department of Pathology, SVIMS, Tirupati, which were reported as cases of hydatid cyst involving different organs, which included rare sites such as brain, kidney, breast, synovial tissue and retrouterine.