Giant Liver Hydatid Cyst

Abstract

Hydatiosis due to Echinococcus granulosus is an endemic parasitic zoonosis characterized by worldwide distribution. The most commonly involved anatomical locations are the liver and lung. The autors present a 12-year-old patient with a giant hepatic echinococcus cyst misdiagnosed as an abdominal malignancy during formal investigation. The patient was admitted to the hospital complaining for abdominal pain and with an important abdominal distention. Abdominal computed tomography revealed a giant abdominal mass: 23/21 cm, resembling a tumor, adherent to the liver edges and parietal peritoneum. The patient was taken into operation, and an a giant liver hydatid cyst was removed despite the radiological findings and the preoperative clinical suspicion.