Cystic Echinococcosis in Children: Ten Years of Experience and Which Laboratory Result in Evaluating Ruptured Cases?

Abstract

Aim Hydatid disease (Echinococcosis) is a common zoonosis in countries that are involved in livestock such as our country. Our study aims to evaluate pediatric cases with hydatid disease over the last decade in our region and to determine the significance of initial clinical and laboratory findings in distinguishing ruptured hydatid cyst cases. Materials and Methods A retrospective analysis was made on demographic characteristics, presenting symptoms, physical examination, laboratory and radiological findings, and treatments of children with hydatid disease who were treated in our hospital and followed up regularly between January 2011 and December 2020. Results The study sample of 42 cases included 19 (45.2%) girls, with a median age of 125.5 (34-209) months. The most common symptom was abdominal pain (50%), and the most common physical examination finding was decreased breath sounds (23.8%). Thirty-five (83.3%) patients had single organ involvement and 7 (16.7) patients had multiple organ involvement. Cysts were detected in the right lobe of the liver in 24 (75%) of hepatic hydatid cysts and the left lobe in 7 (58.3%) of pulmonary hydatid cysts. The median size of the cysts was 57.5 (12-140) mm. The initial IHA titer, eosinophil count, eosinophil percentage, and sedimentation value were statistically significantly higher in patients with ruptured cysts than in those without rupture (p= 0.002, p= 0.003, p= 0.003, p= 0.02, respectively). Conclusions Initial pathological examination findings and at initial laboratory findings such as high IHA titer, eosinophil count, eosinophil percentage, sedimentation value can be used to distinguish rupture cases.

Keywords

• cyst
• liver
• lung
• pediatrics
• akciğer
• karaciğer
• kist
• pediatri