Cardiac Hydatid cysts; presentation and management. A case series

INTRODUCTION: Hydatid cyst commonly affects liver and lung. Cardiac Hydatid cyst is an extremely rare disease. The aim of this study is to report the presentation and management of cardiac Hydatid diseases admitted to two major cardiac centers. METHOD: A retrospective, case series study, conducted in two centers during two years. Each case presented separately regarding presentation, diagnosis and management. RESULTS: Four cases have been reported, age ranged from 14 to 42 years with mean age of 24.75 years. Three patients (75%) were male, one patient (25%) was female. Three cases (75%) had history of chest pain, 2 cases (50%) had palpitation, and one case (25%) had nausea, vomiting and fever. Echocardiography was the initial diagnostic test in 2 cases (50%), final diagnostic test in two cases (50%). In 3 cases (75%) the cyst was found in the left ventricle and one case (25%) in right ventricle. Median sternotomy was performed for all cases. CONCLUSION: Cardiac Hydatid cyst is a very rare disease. Chest pain is the most common symptom. Surgery is the main modality of treatment.