Echinococcal disease of the extrahepatic biliary tract

Cystic hydatid disease of the liver is uncommon in the United States. It is caused by the larval cestode Echinococcus granulosus. One complication of this disorder is rupture of the hepatic hydatid cyst into the biliary ducts. There have been few reported cases of this complication of hydatid disease in the US literature. We describe a case of this disorder and briefly review the literature.