Muscular hydatid cyst in the calf – a clinical case

Muscular echinococcosis is a rare parasitic disease caused by the tapeworms Echinococcus granulosus and Echinococcus multilocularis. Clinical symptoms are non-specific and appear late, usually when the hydatid cyst is of significant size. The combination of diagnostic imaging studies and serological tests is the key to making a correct diagnosis. The treatment of muscular echinococcosis is mainly surgical, in the form of complete resection of the hydatid cyst. Adjuvant anthelmintic therapy is also administered to reduce the risk of hydatid cyst recurrence. We present a clinical case of a 17-year-old girl with muscular echinococcosis, diagnosed and treated in our clinic.