Surgical Treatment of Hydatid Disease of the Liver

The records of 100 consecutive cases of hydatid disease of the liver that were treated surgically were reviewed to determine the complications and the results of different surgical procedures applied. Of those, 74% had single cyst and in 70% the disease was confined to the right lobe of the liver. Marsupialization and omentoplasty were the most commonly used techniques, followed by cystectomy, tube drainage, and cystojejunostomy. Infection in the remaining cavity was the most common postoperative complication. The complication rates were higher in marsupialization and tube drainage when compared with omentoplasty and cystectomy. Omentoplasty and cystectomy led to a shorter hospitalization period. All of the patients who underwent omentoplasty or cystectomy had good results whereas only 28.1% of those on whom marsupialization was done and 27.3% of the patients who underwent tube drainage had good results. The overall mortality was 3%.