The results of surgical treatment and percutaneous drainage of hepatic hydatid disease

Background: Hydatid disease of the liver remains an important and challengi ng problem in rural areas. Although, surgery is considered the treatment of choice for hydatid disease of the liver, percutaneous drainage is an alter native treatment method for selected cases. The purpose of this study was t o evaluate the results of percutaneous drainage and surgery. Methods: A total of 66 patients underwent surgery; 36 cases had percutaneou s drainage and sere evaluated preoperatively for treatment choice according to localization, multiplicity, echographic type and size of the cysts in t he liver. The patients were also evaluated postoperatively for systemic com plications, cg. fistula formation, infection of residual cpt, recurrence an d hospitalization period for each group. Results: Two groups, those with multiple cysts and cysts bigger than 5 cm, were treated by surgery. At the end of two treatment modalities, systemic c omplications, biliary fistulizations, recurrence and infection of cyst's ca vity were seen more frequently in the surgery group and caused a longer hos pital stay. Conclusions: Percutaneous drainage plus medical treatment can be successful ly done for type I, type If and some selected type III hydatid cysts of the liver giving less complications, lower recurrence and shorter hospitalizat ion periods. But, surgery is the primary treatment for big, multiple, compl icated and recurrent hydatid cysts of the liver.