SPINAL ECHINOCOCCAL CYST - TREATMENT USING COMPUTERIZED TOMOGRAPHY-GUIDED NEEDLE ASPIRATION AND HYPERTONIC SALINE IRRIGATION - CASE-REPORT

A multilocular extradural cervical spinal hydatid cyst that causes sev ere spinal cord compression and quadriplegia is relatively rare and di fficult to treat. In a patient with this disorder, computerized tomogr aphy-guided needle aspiration of the cyst loculations and irrigation u sing hypertonic saline eliminated the need for emergency surgery and p rovided complete resolution of the patient's quadriplegia. The subsequ ent course of the disease was controlled by treatment with albendazole . Magnetic resonance imaging performed 4 months after the procedure de monstrated collapsed cysts and absence of spinal cord compression.