Conservative surgery for hydatid cysts of liver in children

Thirty patients below the age of 12 years were surgically treated for hydatid cysts of the liver. Twenty-two (73.3%) had a single cyst located in either hepatic lobe and eight (26.7%) harboured more than one cyst. Preoperative complications occurred in eight (26.7%) patients, which included jaundice in one, rupture in two and infection or bile staining in five. In one patient in the uncomplicated group of 22 (73.3%), left lateral hepatic segmentectomy was performed and in the rest, an endocyst was removed and an ectocyst was partially excised, with or without external tube drainage. No postoperative complications occurred in this group. However, three out of eight children with preoperative complications developed bile drainage which ceased spontaneously within 3-8 weeks. This study showed that the simple procedure of removal of an endocyst and partial ectocystectomy were suitable for the treatment of hepatic hydatid cysts in children.