Percutaneous treatment of liver hydatid cysts

Hydatic disease caused by Echinococcus granulosus is an endemic disease and an important public health problem in some countries of the world. The res ults of surgical treatment are associated with a high rate of mortality, mo rbidity, postoperative recurrence and a long period of hospital stay and th e medical treatment results are still controversial. Although the percutane ous aspiration and treatment of liver hydatid cysts were considered to be c ontraindicated due to risks of anaphylactic shock and dissemination of clea r-crystal fluid into the abdomen, several reports of successful percutaneou s treatment of liver hydatid cysts have been published in the literature. T oday, percutaneous treatment of liver hydatid cysts is the most effective a nd reliable treatment procedure in the selected cases. In this review, indi cations, contraindications, method and techniques, healing criteria, compli cations, results and importance of the percutaneous treatment of liver hyda tid cysts are discussed. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.