Albendazole Therapy in the Treatment of Hydatid Liver Disease

Hydatid disease, a common health problem in Turkey as in many countries, should be included in the differential diagnosis of all patients presenting with a cystic mass in the abdominal or thoracic cavity. Previously, surgery had been the main form of treatment. But with the introduction of preoperative medication with albendazole, treating this disease medically is now growing in popularity. We report herein the findings of ten patients with two lung and 20 liver hydatid cysts ranging from 3 to 20 cm in diameter, who were successfully treated with medical therapy. Multiple organ involvement and multiple cysts in an organ are the main indications for medical treatment with albendazole, but the indications should not be limited to certain situations such as small-sized cysts, since even huge-sized cysts responded well to the therapy in this series. Received: August 7, 2000 / Accepted: January 9, 2001