TITLE:
Fatal Rupture of a Giant Hydatid Cyst in an Elderly Patient
AUTHORS:
Ismail Altintop, Mehmet Yilmaz, Zehra Alincak, Abdussamed Vural
KEYWORDS:
Primary Hydatid Cyst, Hydatid Cyst Rupture, Acuteabdomen
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Emergency Medicine,
Vol.4 No.1,
March
21,
2016
ABSTRACT: Hydatid cyst (HC) disease, which is endemic in Turkey, is mainly located in the liver. Cyst rupture
is the most common complication of HC. Ultrasonography (US) and computerized tomography (CT)
are the main diagnostic modalities for HC disease. Presented herein was a case of an elderly female
patient who died shortly after presenting to the emergency department with severe abdominal
pain. A giant HC was detected on initial evaluation by US. However, the presence of significant
amounts of free fluid in the peritoneal space following a CT of the abdomen. The patient died
despite medical and surgical intervention.