[Moroccan experience in the surgical treatment of multiple hydatid cysts in the liver]

We studied 94 cases of multiple hydatid cysts in the liver, over a period of ten years. These cases accounted for 31.3% of all cases of hydatid cysts treated surgically in the Visceral Surgery Department of Avicenne Military Hospital in Marrakech. In these patients, who were often young and male, the principal symptoms were pain in the right hypochondrium (71.3%) and hepatomegaly (24.5%). In about 10% of cases, the cysts were discovered by chance. Ultrasound and CT scans facilitated diagnosis and determination of the position of the cysts, with reliability reaching 100% for CT scans. The cysts had burst in the bile ducts in 26.6% of cases and were infected in 8 cases. They were multivesicular in 77.5% of cases. Association with hydatidosis at another site was observed in 28 cases: in the peritoneum in 15, the thorax in 7, the diaphragm in 4, the spleen in 2 and the kidney in 1 case. Surgically, the route most frequently used was double incision below the rib cage (49.5%). It is not possible to recommend one particular way to treat cysts and the most appropriate approach to treatment depends on the site, type and number of cysts. Resection of the prominent dome is the technique most frequently used (57.25%). However, in recent years, the use of cystectomy has been increasing (20.2%) due to the considerable decreases in post-operative morbidity and duration of hospital stay that it affords. The principal post-operative complications observed were abscesses under the diaphragm (6 cases), biliary leakage (5 cases), pleurisy (6 cases) and the formation of abscesses in the vestigial cavity (4 cases). The rate of morbidity in the RDS appeared high, accounting for 75% of total morbidity. Only one patient died. This patient died from severe hepatic insufficiency due to the near destruction of the liver by the hydatosis. We observed two recurrences during follow up. Both underwent further surgery and neither suffered complications.