PRIMARY SUBRETINAL HYDATID CYST PRESENTING AS LEUKOCORIA IN A CHILD

To describe a case of subretinal hydatid cyst presenting as leukocoria and treated with limbal vitrectomy.

A single case report demonstrated by multimodal imaging.

An otherwise healthy 28-month-old boy was admitted to our hospital with a complaint of leukocoria and underwent combined lensectomy and vitrectomy under albendazole therapy because of vitreous space-occupying subretinal cyst. Systemic workup showed no involvement in other organs. Cyst content was adequately aspirated with a 39-gauge needle, the cyst wall was freed from surrounding attachments to the retina, and the nasal choroid and was extracted through a limbal incision using a cryoprobe. Nasal retinotomy and retinectomy area was lasered and tamponaded with silicone oil. Histopathologic examination confirmed the diagnosis of hydatid cyst disease. Silicone oil was removed at postoperative third month. Retina stayed attached, and the patient had a fix and follow vision under contact lens and amblyopia treatment during the 21-month follow-up period.

This is the youngest subretinal hydatid cyst case in the literature. Large subretinal hydatid cyst may rarely cause leukocoria in children without any involvement in other organs. Vitrectomy with limbal approach and 39G needle-assisted cyst fluid aspiration and cryo-extraction seems to be a safe and successful surgical option in such cases.