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Article Type

Original Study

Abstract

Background Cerebral hydatid cysts are very rare, and surgery, with its inherent risk of rupture and spillage of cyst contents, has been the traditional treatment. The goal of surgery is to remove the cysts without rupture. Aim The aim of this review was to investigate the surgical technique of removing cerebral hydatid cysts in children, to show the possible pitfalls of surgery and to assess the effect of adjuvant preoperative and postoperative medical treatment. Patients and methods This retrospective analysis included four patients who underwent surgery for an intracranial hydatid cyst at the Department of Neurosurgery, Matarya Teaching Hospital. The Dowling technique was used in all patients. Preoperative and postoperative treatment with albendazole was added in all cases. Results One patient had multiple hydatid cysts within a very thin membrane and all were removed intact, and the other three patients had solitary cyst and all were removed intact by Dowling technique. Anaphylactic reaction or chemical meningitis did not occur. The thin cyst wall, periventricular locations were the main surgical problems in two cases, and microadhesions to the surrounding brain tissue were other obstacles during the removal of the other two cysts. Conclusion Most intracranial hydatid cysts are seen in the pediatric population. Dowling's technique is the most effective method of surgical removal of the cysts, and recovery depends on successful cyst extraction without rupture.

Keywords

Albendazole, hydatid cyst, multiple intracranial cyst, primary, surgery

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