Surgical treatment of hydatid cysts of the pancreas

This series consists of seven patients with hydatid cysts of the pancreas; five females and two males, with an average age of 31 years. In a follow-up extending up to 33 years, about a 50% rate of correct preoperative diagnosis was recorded. The most sensitive and effective diagnostic modalities such as latex agglutination, ultrasonic, radionuclide, computerized tomographic and magnetic resonance imaging techniques were not available till the late seventies and therefore were only used during diagnosis of the latter 3 cases. Four patients had cysts located in the head of the pancreas. Three cysts were situated in the body and tail. Two distal pancreatectomies, two cystectomies and three marsupialization and external drainage procedures were performed for the surgical management of these cases. Two of the marsupialized and externally drained patients had fistulas which eventually dried up within a month leading to a total morbidity of 29% and a mortality rate of nil.