A rare case of hepatic hydatid cyst in Somalia: a case report

Echinococcosis, or hydatid disease, is caused by the larval forms of taeniid cestodes belonging to the genus Echinococcus. Echinococcus granulosus and E. multilocularis are the primary species responsible for human echinococcosis, and mostly they affect the liver. The disease course is typically slow, and the patients tend to remain asymptomatic for many years. A case of 19-year-old male Somali from Medina, Saudi Arabia, was presented to the Mogadishu Somali Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan Training and Research Hospital with the complaint of right upper quadrant abdominal pain and dysuria for 1 month. A thorough physical examination, laboratory examination, and imaging investigations, including abdominal sonography and computed tomography (CT), were conducted. Both ultrasound and CT scans revealed a cystic lesion in the right lobe of the liver, confirming the diagnosis of a hydatid cyst. Consequently, the patient underwent exploratory laparotomy. It was successfully managed surgically, and the definitive diagnosis was provided by the pathologist, confirming degenerated echinococcal cysts that contain abundant debris. Additionally, the patient received oral albendazole both before and after the surgery and after 7 months and is currently symptom-free. Hydatid disease in the liver may persist without symptoms and often goes undiagnosed due to the slow growth of the cysts. The diagnosis needs careful history reporting, physical examination, and appropriate imaging investigations.