Hydatid cyst disease: optimal management of complex liver involvement

The most frequent location of hydatid cystic lesions is in the liver (up to 80% of cases), followed by the lung (about 20% of cases), and with lower reported incidence, virtually in any other organ or tissue in the body. Therefore, the case an American medical practitioner would most likely encounter, albeit still rare, is a large, symptomatic liver cyst, similar to the one presented in this report. Current techniques and reasoning concerning optimal treatment of liver hydatid cyst disease are revisited, and recommendations based on available literature regarding ideal management of such cases are presented.