Asymptomatic intra-peritoneal rupture of hydatid cyst of the liver: case report

BACKGROUND: Intra-peritoneal rupture of hydatid cyst is a rare complication and there is no consensus about its treatment. CASE PRESENTATION: The reported case concerns a 25 years old female patient who had been complaining for four months from a moderate pain in the right upper quadrant. No clinical or biological signs of sepsis or allergic reactions were witnessed. Ultrasound and CT examinations showed a multilocular hepatic cyst in addition to multiple unilocular cysts in the abdomen. The suspected diagnosis was hepatic and peritoneal HC and a surgical treatment was scheduled four weeks later. Surgical exploration showed a large ruptured HC on the left lobe of the liver, with daughter cysts in the peritoneal cavity. Left lobectomy of the liver with complete ablation of all daughter cysts and a wide peritoneal lavage were performed. For the three months following the surgery, Albendazole had been given to the patient. No recurrence occurred after four years of follow-up. CONCLUSION: Intra-peritoneal rupture of liver HC could be asymptomatic. This case showed that in some cases, occurrence of complications is not systematic. This suggests that urgent surgical treatment is not always mandatory in the absence of alarming signs. Well-conducted medical treatment would reduce the risk of occurrence of secondary peritoneal hydatidosis.