Hydatid disease of the left femur: a case report

Osseous hydatid disease is a rare but serious condition. Treatment is difficult because of the progressive course of the bone involvement and generally admitted algorithm about osseous hydatid disease. We report a six-year follow-up of a case with involvement of the left femur, treated with an unconnected surgical method and albendazole. In this patient a 1 cm segment of the cortex between the trochanteric region to supracondylar area of the left femur was removed. The medullary cavity of the left femur was irrigated for 5 minutes with 20% hypersaline solution, and removed without causing any damage. The medullary cavity was curettaged meticulously and irrigated for 6 minutes with 0.9% saline solution. The bone defect was filled with bone cement. Albendazole was administered during the postoperative period. At the sixth year postoperatively, the patient was pain free. All serological tests were normal. Radiologic evaluation showed no evidence of disease recurrence. Meticulous preoperative planning, excision of all the cysts, and an effective regimen of chemotherapy will reduce recurrence. Bone scintigraphy is an important diagnostic method during the follow-up period.