Arch Clin Infect Dis. 2018 December; 13(6):e57823.
Published online 2018 October 15.
doi: 10.5812/archcid.57823.
Case Report
Bone Hydatid Disease with Long Term Follow-Up: A Case Report
Majid Abedi
1
, Amin Karimi
1
, Salman Ghaffari
2
, Azra Izanloo
3
and Masoud Mirkazemi
1, *
1
Bone and Joint Reconstruction Research Center, Shafa Orthopedic Hospital, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
2
Orthopedic Research Center, Tehran, Iran
3
Razavi Cancer Research Center, Razavi Hospital, Imam Reza International University, Mashhad, Iran
*
Corresponding author: Bone and Joint Reconstruction Research Center, Shafa Orthopedic Hospital, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. E-mail:
masoud.dr2003@gmail.com
Received 2017 July 09; Revised 2018 July 23; Accepted 2018 August 12.
Abstract
Introduction: Hydatid cysts of bones may develop in any part of the body, however, they are usually found in the liver and lungs.
The primary localization of the cysts in bone is not common.
Case Presentation: In this paper, we report the case of a 58-year-old man who was admitted complaining of leg pain. He had un-
dergone hydatid cyst surgery several times over the past years.
Conclusions: The patient had surgical removal of the hydatid cyst along with chemotherapy before and after surgery. The patient
did not report any problem in a two-year follow-up after his last surgery.
Keywords: Hydatid Cyst, Bone, Recurrence, Surgery
1. Introduction
Human echinococcosis is a zoonotic infection caused
by larval cyst of the dog tapeworm Echinococcus granulo-
sus (E. granulosus), which mainly affects the liver and lungs.
The parasite appears in two forms, E. granulosus and E. mul-
tilocularis. The former often chooses humans, sheep, and
cattle as the intermediate host. A dog is the most com-
mon definitive host that transmits this larva to humans
through direct contact (1). In endemic areas such as the
Middle East, Central Asia, South America, East Africa, and
Turkey, hydatidosis is relatively common, particularly in
areas of poor hygiene (2). In 75% of all cases, larvae are
found in the liver and in 5% of cases, they reside in lungs,
with 10% of cases involving other organs. Bone hydatid dis-
ease is extremely rare, approximately in 0.5% to 2.5% of all
human hydatidosis (3). Tibia involvement is observed in
up to 10% of all bone cases. Due to its unusual presenta-
tion, its diagnosis may be easily missed, unless meticulous
attention is paid to its diagnosis (4). Although long term
survival is possible, the disease cannot be easily eradicated
and may be resistance to treatment (5). Since patients usu-
ally refer at an advanced stage of the disease, treatment is
difficult and recurrence is common (6). We report a case of
recurrent hydatidosis disease of the tibia in a 58-year-old
man with long term follow-up.
2. Case Presentation
We presented the case of a 58 year old man suffering
from pain in his left leg. In this case, he used to keep
animals such as sheeps and dogs at his house. In addi-
tion, two and six years ago, the results of radiography
had showed cystic lesions in the left tibia (Figures 1 and
2). He had two operations for treating hydatid disease
caused by Echinococcus granolosus. In another hospital, he
had been treated by adjuvant therapy with albendazole in
the same region. In that case, pathological results con-
firmed the hydatid cyst. Once again, he referred complain-
ing of leg pain and the X-ray of his paining leg showed
a lucent and multilocular lesion (Figure 3). The clinical
examination revealed a normal range of motion in both
knees without local swelling. In the primary evaluation
of the patient, white blood cell count (WBC), differential
count, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) were nor-
mal. The patient’s lung and liver were also screened and his
abdominal ultrasonography and chest radiography were
normal. Chemotherapy with albendazole 400 mg (once a
day) was performed 4 weeks prior to the surgery. He under-
went surgery during which hydatid suspicious cysts were
found (It was fertile). Thus, curettage was administered
and the wound was cleaned with solution hydrogen prox-
ide (H
2
O
2
) to prevent the recurrence of the cyst (Figure 4).
One month after operation, chemotherapy with albenda-
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