Demographic, Clinical, and Radiological Characteristics of Patients With Hydatid Cyst Refereed to Ahvaz Hospitals During 2017-2019

Background and Objectives Hydatid cyst is a worldwide zoonotic disease caused by the larval stages of Echinococcus granulosus. The aim of this study was to investigate the demographic, clinical and radiological characteristics of hydatidosis patients undergoing surgery in hospitals in Ahvaz during Subjects and Methods This study is a retrospective descriptive cross-sectional study based on the information recorded in the patients' files. Data were analyzed using SPSS software, descriptive statistics and Chi-square test. Results Of the 107 patients with a mean age of 36.78 years, 42.1% were male and 57.9% were female. The highest frequency was related to the age group of 31-40 and the lowest was related to the patients under 10 years old. 52.3% lived in the rural areas and 47.7% lived in the urban areas. In 70.1% of the patients, liver was involved and recurrence was reported in 14%. In 59.8% of the patients, only one cyst was reported and in 40.2% more than one cyst was reported. The cysts size was 10 to 180 mm and about 50% of the patients had CE2 cysts. The diagnostic method of all patients was imaging techniques and drainage method was the most common method used. Conclusion This study showed that hydatid cyst in Khuzestan Province is still one of the important health problems that raise the need for educational programs based on the prevention and control of parasitic infections, especially parasites transmitted by dogs. Observation of 14% recurrence also raises the importance of choosing the appropriate surgical method by surgeons.