Affiliations: Department of Neurosurgery and General Surgery,
Postgraduate Medical Institute, Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawar, Pakistan
Note: [] Correspondence: Dr. Hamzullah Khan, MBBS, Department of General
Surgery, Postgraduate Medical Institute, Government Lady Reading Hospital
Peshawar, Peshawar, Pakistan. Tel.: +92 345 9283415; E-mail:
hamza_kmc@yahoo.com
Abstract: To determine the clinical presentation and surgical outcome of
cranioorbital hydatidosis. This retrospective study was performed in the
department of neurosurgery Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawar from November 1999
to October 2006. Twenty-one cases with intracranial/orbital hydatidosis were
operated. The patients were either admitted through out patient department or
referred from other units. Computed tomography and/or magnetic resonance
imaging were the imaging modalities to reach the diagnosis in addition to
serological and hematological tests. Surgery was the only treatment option
used. Pericystic hydraulic method was the technique used for the excision of
the hydatid cyst of brain. There were nine males and 12 females with male to
female ratio of 1:1.3. All patients belonged to pediatric age group with age
range of 4–14 years and mean age of 8.66 years. Headache, vomiting,
papilledema were present in all the patients while seizures were the present in
16 patients. The lesion was removed surgically by adopting pericystic hydraulic
method during craniotomy in all but two cases of orbital hydatid disease where
lateral orbitotomy was performed to enucleate the cyst. There was no
intraoperative morbidity except that the cyst ruptured in one case. No
postoperative complications were noted and there was no mortality. Hydatid cyst
of the brain presents clinically as intracranial space occupying lesion and is
more common in children. Surgery is the treatment option with affordable
morbidity and low mortality.
