[Non conventional treatment of human hydatidosis]

Treatment of human hydatidosis is surgical. Lately, however, surgical indications have decreased, due to pharmacological therapy and ultrasound-guided percutaneous cyst puncture, aspiration of its contents, instillation of medications and respiration. As a general rule, surgical treatment is indicated in cysts larger than 10 cm phi and located in extra abdominal sites, such as thorax, brain or bone. The drug of choice is albendazole, in doses of 10 to 15 mg/kg/day for one month. Three cures with intervals of 15 to 30 days in between, are generally used. Thirty percent of cysts disappear, 30 to 50% experience degenerative changes and 30 to 40% do not change. Aspirative needle puncture is used, after four days of albendazole treatment, in those cysts that can be reached percutaneously.