Pediatric Intracranial Hydatid Cyst: A Case Series with Literature Review

Hydatid disease is an endemic zoonotic disease in many areas of the world. An intracranial hydatid cyst is a relatively rare entity, accounting for only 1-2% of all intracranial space-occupying lesions. Most commonly they are seen in children and young adults. Here, we present 9 cases of pediatric intracranial hydatid cyst operated at Sher-I-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, Srinagar, India, between 2009 and 2015. The mean age of presentation was 11.5 years. The male to female ratio was 5: 4. In 7 cases, a history of contact with pet dogs was present. Seizure was the most common finding, present in 7 cases. Seven patients had solitary cysts and 2 had multiple cysts on presentation. All patients were operated on, and recurrence was observed in 2 patients. The features of this rare disease are retrospectively analyzed in this presentation and the literature is reviewed.