Hydatid disease of the liver

Hydatid disease is a parasitic cystic disease of the liver commonly caused by a variety of tapeworm with a dog as a intermediary host. Usually handling domestic dogs can give rise to this condition. This is common in the Indian subcontinent and neighbouring countries. It can occur anywhere in the body which includes lung, brain, kidney and muscle.

Most of these cysts are asymptomatic and are incidentally found and can be of various sizes. They can cause pain, get infected , can rupture and ocassionally cause jaundice when compressin the bile passage or occassionally can leak into a bile duct.

An ultrasonogram of the abdomen and sometimes a CT scan is necessary to diagnose their number and location. Not all cyst will require treatment. Some of them can be treated by percutaneous aspiration but a good number of them need surgical treatment. These can be easily tackled by laparoscopic methods.

All these patients will require long term albendazole therapy.