Case Series of Cystic Echinococcosis Over a Twelve-year Period at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Oman

OBJECTIVES: Cystic echinococcosis is a worldwide zoonosis that is endemic in many countries including some in the Middle East. Exact prevalence rates for human echinococcosis are unknown for Oman. METHODS: Following obtaining ethical approval, data from January 2010 to December 2021 were retrieved from hospital electronic records of Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Muscat. RESULTS: Over a 12-year period we saw nine cases of hydatid disease; two cases in females and seven cases in males. The median age of our patients was 31 years old. Four patients had pulmonary cysts, four had hepatic cysts, and one patient had pulmonary and hepatic cysts. The majority of patients were from the Ad Dakhiliyah governorate. Contact with animals was reported by three patients, denied by two, and unknown for four. Albendazole was prescribed to three patients with pulmonary cysts that subsequently ruptured reflecting the unfamiliarity of clinicians to best manage pulmonary hydatid cysts. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of cystic echinococcosis in Oman is unknown but appears rare. For optimal management of this disease, clinicians must become more aware of its diagnosis and management.