A Case of Granular Echinococcosis of the Liver

Taketsune Kobuchi, Sayuri Konishi, Hirokazu Amaya, Susumu Shiraishi, Takumi Shimomatsuya, Kazuhiro Maruhashi and Takahiro Nakagawa*

Department of Surgery, Nagahama Red Cross Hospital
Nakanogo Clinic*

The incidence of once-rare granular echinococcosis of the liver has recently increased and moved away from endemic areas. We report a case of granular echinococcosis of the liver. A 55-year-old Peruvian woman admitted for fever and abdominal pain was admitted with hypotension, tachycardia, hyperthermia, tenderness in the right-upper abdomen, and whole-body redness and itching. Blood studies showed mildly elevated LDH and hypoxia. Abdominal US, CT, and MRI showed an 8 cm cyst in the left lobe of the liver. Suspecting a liver abscess, we conducted US-guided abscess drainage. We detected echinococcus granulosus in the cloudy yellow-brown fluid aspirated from the abscess. We prescribed Albendazole for 2 weeks, then conducted left hepatic lateral segmentectomy. In suspected liver abscess or cyst, we must keep this disease in mind, diagnosing and treating such cases carefully.

Key words
Echinococcus granulosus, liver abscess

Reprint requests
Taketsune Kobuchi Department of Surgery, Nagahama Red Cross Hospital
14-7 Miyamaecho, Nagahama, 526-8585 JAPAN

Accepted
June 30, 2004

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