Pediatric Giant-Sized Intracerebral Hydatid Cyst: Reports Of Two Cases

Hydatid cyst disease is a parasitic disease caused by the larval forms of echinococci. Although the liver and lungs are the most common organs affected by the disease, it may appear rarely in central nervous system. It has two main forms as the cystic form and alveolar form. Cerebral hydatid cyst is more common in pediatric population and 75% of patients in the present series were children. Especially in children, the cysts may cause no symptoms until they become large size. Radiologic investigations including Computed Tomography and Magnetic Resonance Imaging are important and used in the preoperative diagnosis of hydatid cyst. The essential treatment of hydatid cyst is surgical and the aim of surgery is to remove the cyst without rupture. The Dowling's technique is the most effective surgical procedure for the excision of cysts. Giant-sized intracerebral hydatid cysts in childhood are rarely reported in the literature. In this study, we report two cases of giant intracerebral hydatid cysts which were removed without rupture by Dowling's technique.