Huge hydatid cysts that arise from the liver, growing exophytically.

Can J Surg, Vol. 50, No. 4, August 2007 301 H hydatid cysts (HCs), especially those that are superficial and those in vital anatomic locations, are prone to abdominal trauma and rupture. Surgery has been the mainstay of therapy for large HCs. We report on a patient with a 32-cm diameter HC who presented with an abdominal mass originating from the right lobe of the liver. The mass grew exophytically, filled the abdominal cavity and extended down into the pelvis. The patient was taken into operation. Upon examination, a huge, thin-walled cyst with daughter vesiculae was found to be filling the entire right side of the abdomen, which grew exophytically. Direct HCs rupture when both the endoand pericysts are torn, spilling cyst material into body cavities or adjacent hollow viscera. Occasionally, as in our case, a cyst may reach a huge diameter without any complications and activity limitations.