Spinal cord hydatid cysts in Egypt.

Abstract

Hydatid cysts or hydatidosis is a cyclozoonotic parasite, where dog is the definitive host and man is an incidental intermediate host. Human hydatid cysts have been encountered in many organs but the most prevalent is the liver followed by the lung. In this paper, we report for the first time spinal cord hydatid cysts in two preparatory school pupils. They were presented with sever back pain, bilateral neurologic deficient in both lower limbs including motor and sensory affection in scattered pattern as well as knees reflux. The two cases were diagnosed hydatidosis by surgical removal of the cysts and confirmed by histological and parasitological examinations. It is concluded that parasitic infection in the spinal cord is rare but it should be in mind with disseminating parasite(s).