Orbital hydatid disease in Kenya

We treated 7 cases of orbital hydatidosis presenting as cysts. These were successfully treated surgically using a technique that does not compromise the eye and its visual function. This need arose when it was learned that 7 eyes had been enucleated and another case put on massive steroid therapy due to misdiagnosis as malignancies by ophthalmologists visiting in this country (M. French, African Medical Research Foundation, personal communication). It is imperative to stress the diagnostic and therapeutic aspects of this condition which must be considered in the differential diagnosis of unilateral proptosis.