Appendiceal hydatid cyst in a 5-year-old child: A case report

Introduction: Hydatidosis is the formation of cysts caused by the parasitic infection of Echinococcus granulosus. This disease predominantly affects the liver and lungs. The involvement of other organs is quite rare. Case presentation: A 5-year-old Iranian boy presented with abdominal pain, anorexia, and hepatomegaly. The pain had been present for about 1 year. He had developed low-grade fever during the previous two months. On physical exam he had abdominal distention and a palpable mass on the right lower quadrant. Basic blood work revealed leukocytosis and eosinophilia. An abdominal ultrasound revealed a 5 x 6 x 8 cm cystic lesion in the pelvis, and two cystic lesions located in the right lobe of the liver. A computerized tomography (CT) scan of the abdomen confirmed the findings. CT of the chest and brain ruled out further cystic lesions. The patient had a positive Indirect hemagglutination assay (IHA), confirming the diagnosis of hydatidosis. A regimen of an albendazole was initiated. He was taken to the operating room for the resection of all cysts. The hepatic cysts were drained and re-filled with hypertonic saline solution, which was left in place for several minutes. Next, the hypertonic solution was drained and all hepatic cysts removed. We turned our attention to the pelvic cyst. It had a thick wall and was indistinguishable from the surrounding tissues. After dissecting it we found that it was arising from the wall of the appendix. We surrounded it with gauze embedded in hypertonic solution and resected the majority of it, leaving a small aspect of the external layer that was densely adherent to the bowel. He recovered well from the operation, remained on albendazole for 6 months, and has had no recurrences this far. Conclusion: Appendiceal hydatid cysts should be included in the differential diagnosis of patients with hydatid disease and pelvic cysts.