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Cardiac hydatid cyst in a child
A A Ben-Musa1, H Singh, A H Shembesh
1Department of Pediatrics, Al Fatah Children's Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Al Arab Medical University, Benghazi, Libya.
Insights
Hydatid disease, a parasitic infection, is rare in children. This case highlights a pediatric patient with a cardiac hydatid cyst, diagnosed via echocardiography and serology.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Parasitology
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Hydatid disease, caused by Echinococcus parasites, is endemic in the Middle East.
- Pediatric presentation of hydatid disease is uncommon due to slow cyst growth.
- Cardiac involvement by hydatid cysts is exceptionally rare across all age groups.
Observation:
- This report details a rare case of cardiac hydatid cyst in a pediatric patient.
- The cyst was located in the posterior wall of the left ventricle.
- Diagnosis was confirmed using two-dimensional echocardiography and serological tests.
Findings:
- A 3-month course of mebendazole therapy showed partial effectiveness.
- The patient remained asymptomatic two years post-diagnosis.
- This case represents a rare instance of cardiac hydatid cyst in a child, contrasting with recent literature focusing on adult patients.
Implications:
- Highlights the importance of considering rare diagnoses like cardiac hydatid disease in pediatric patients.
- Emphasizes the utility of advanced imaging modalities like echocardiography in diagnosing such conditions.
- Suggests potential for long-term asymptomatic outcomes even with partial treatment response.
Abstract:
Presentation of hydatid disease is uncommon in children, and cardiac hydatid cyst is rare at any age. The authors discuss a pediatric patient with cardiac hydatid cyst in the posterior wall of the left ventricle. The cyst was diagnosed by two-dimensional echocardiography and by serology. A 3 month course of mebendazole therapy was only partially effective. The patient remains asymptomatic 2 years after diagnosis. HYDATID DISEASE is endemic in the Middle East. In a study from a surgical hospital in eastern Libya, the disease accounted for 0.89 percent of all hospital admissions. The echinococcus cyst grows very slowly and unless located in a critical anatomic site, it takes many years to evolve. Consequently, presentation in pediatric patients is distinctly uncommon. In an epidemiologic study from Benghazi, only 11.7 percent of patients were under 10 years old. Cardiac hydatid disease is rare at any age, accounting for less than 2 percent of all hydatid disease. Since the introduction of two-dimensional echocardiography, more cases are being diagnosed. All the reports in the recent literature are in adult patients. We report here, however, a cardiac hydatid cyst in the left ventricular wall in a child.