Secondary inguinal hydatidosis mimicking irreducible inguinal hernia: report of a rare case

Peritoneal hydatidosis secondary to liver hydatid disease is not uncommon but peritoneal hydatidosis herniating to the inguinal canal is rare, with fewer than five cases reported in the literature. We describe a 54-year-old man who presented with a progressively enlarging soft, cystic swelling in the right inguinal region. Clinical examination suggestive of irreducible right inguinal hernia and ultrasonography revealed it to be a cystic swelling within the hernial sac. The swelling was excised en bloc and open mesh hernioplasty was performed. Cyst biopsy revealed hydatid disease; hence, the patient was put on adjunctive albendazole chemotherapy for 3 months.