Spontaneous intrahepatic echinococcal cyst rupture in a patient with chronic hepatitis C infection.

E chinococcal disease involves the liver in 70% of cases, 1 with communication rates between the cyst and the biliary tree ranging from 9% to 25%. Various operative, laparoscopic, endoscopic or percutaneous methods have been proposed for the curative management of uncomplicated echinococcocal cysts; however, in patients with hydatid cyst rupture into the alimentary or biliary tract, open operative management is mandatory. We report the case of a patient with cirrhosis and chronic hepatitis C (HCV) infection presenting with spontaneous rupture of an echinococcal liver cyst into the right segmental intrahepatic bile duct system.