Cholangiohydatidosis: an Infrequent Cause of Obstructive Jaundice and Acute Cholangitis

Background. One of the evolutionary complications of hepatic echinococcosis (HE) is cholangiohydatidosis, a rare cause of obstructive jaundice and cholangitis. The aim of this study was to describe the results of surgical treatment on a group of patients with cholangiohydatidosis and secondary cholangitis in terms of post-operative morbidity (POM). Material and method. Case series of patients operated on for cholangiohydatidosis and cholangitis in the Department at Surgery of the Universidad de La Frontera and the Clinica Mayor in Temuco, Chile between 2004 and 2014. The minimum follow-up time was six months. The principal outcome variable was the development of POM. Other variables of interest were age, sex, cyst diameter, hematocrit, leukocytes, total bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase and transaminases, type of surgery, existence of concomitant evolutionary complications in the cyst, length of hospital stay, need for surgical re-intervention and mortality. Descriptive statistics were calculated. Results. A total of 20 patients were studied characterized by a median age of 53 years, 50.0% female and 20.0% having two or more cysts with a mean diameter of 13.3 +/- 6.3 cm. A median hospital stay of six days and follow-up of 34 months was recorded. POM was 30.0%, re-intervention rate was 10.0% and mortality rate was 5.0%. Conclusion. Cholangiohydatidosis is a rare cause of obstructive jaundice and cholangitis associated with significant rates of POM and mortality.