Concerning treatment, until recently the only definitive treatment for hydatid disease had been surgery. Different surgical techniques and procedures have been carried out and even in some cases, a liver transplant has been required. Advances in drug therapy has been influenced by the introduction of albendazole and accelerated by addition of praziquantel, but this requires a long period of treatment i.e. up to a year or more, and is not effective for everyone.
A research article to be published on February 7, 2011 in the World Journal of Gastroenterology addresses this question. In this study, the authors assessed the value of percutaneous drainage with adjuvant medical therapy in 26 patients with confirmed 32 hepatic hydatid cysts (HHC) over an average follow-up period of 10 years.
All 32 cysts showed evidence of immediate collapse after completion of the procedure, and before discharge from hospital, ultrasound examination showed fluid reaccumulation in all cysts. Serial follow-up showed a progressive decrease in the size and change in the appearance of cysts. To confirm the sterility of these cystic cavities, seven cysts were re-aspirated on average 3 mo after the procedure. Investigations revealed no viable scolices.
The study might provide some confirmation of the efficacy of a non-surgical approach to the treatment of liver hydatidosis.
Reference: Yasawy MI, Mohammed AE, Bassam S, Karawi MA, Shariq S. Percutaneous aspiration and drainage with adjuvant medical therapy for treatment of hepatic hydatid cysts. World J Gastroenterol 2011; 17(5): 646-650 http://www.wjgnet.com/1007-9327/full/v17/i5/646.htm
Correspondence to: Dr. Mohd I Yasawy, Consultant Internist/Gastroenterologist, Associate Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Dammam University Hospital, PO Box 40143, Al-Khobar 31952, Saudi Arabia. yasawy@hotmail.com
Telephone: +966-3-8966741 Fax: +966-3-8966741
About World Journal of Gastroenterology
World Journal of Gastroenterology (WJG), a leading international journal in gastroenterology and hepatology, has established a reputation for publishing first class research on esophageal cancer, gastric cancer, liver cancer, viral hepatitis, colorectal cancer, and H pylori infection and provides a forum for both clinicians and scientists. WJG has been indexed and abstracted in Current Contents/Clinical Medicine, Science Citation Index Expanded (also known as SciSearch) and Journal Citation Reports/Science Edition, Index Medicus, MEDLINE and PubMed, Chemical Abstracts, EMBASE/Excerpta Medica, Abstracts Journals, Nature Clinical Practice Gastroenterology and Hepatology, CAB Abstracts and Global Health. ISI JCR 2009 IF: 2.092. WJG is a weekly journal published by WJG Press. The publication dates are the 7th, 14th, 21st, and 28th day of every month. WJG is supported by The National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 30224801 and No. 30424812, and was founded with the name of China National Journal of New Gastroenterology on October 1, 1995, and renamed WJG on January 25, 1998.
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World Journal of Gastroenterology