[Clinico-laboratory and morphological parallels in hepatic echinococcosis]

The trial included 50 patients with hydatid echinococcosis of the liver and 5 control patients operated urgently for extrahepatic pathology. The patients underwent clinical and biochemical tests, ultrasound investigation of the liver. Structural and functional changes in the liver were analysed with reference to the stage of the echinococcal cyst. Morphological picture of the liver was studied by light microscopy, its functional picture--by activity of AsAT and AlAT in hepatic tissue. Morphological and biochemical tests were made on hepatic biopsies obtained from the pericystic and far from the cyst zones. The most severe histological changes affecting all structures of the liver were registered in the parasite's life cycles II and III. AsAT and AlAT changes in the liver were not related to the biological cycle of the parasite; echinococcal patients' liver contained them in lower concentrations than that of control subjects. Moreover, blood serum levels of AsAT and AlAT are higher than in liver tissue. Thus, growth of the echinococcal cyst in the liver is accompanied with marked morphofunctional disorders. This necessitates early detection and surgical treatment of hepatic echinococcosis. To prevent postoperative complications, adequate preoperative preparation and postoperative intensive treatment must be conducted.