Analysis of Complications of a Neglected Disease: Hepatic Hydatid Cyst with Splenic Extension in a 29-Year-Old Woman

Abstract

Hydatid disease, a zoonotic infection caused by Echinococcus granulosus, is endemic in pastoral regions and typically transmitted through exposure to infected canines (dogs), contaminated food, and water. A patient case is presented of a 29-year-old woman from urban Saudi Arabia who had chronic upper abdominal pain and lacked a classic exposure history. An Acuson ultrasound system (Siemens Healthineers, Erlangen, Germany), equipped with a convex transducer (3.5–7 MHz), revealed a pathognomonic thick-walled hepatic cyst that measured 88 × 78 mm, along with daughter cysts. This diagnostic finding was confirmed by a 64-slice computed tomogram (Siemens Healthineers), as well as demonstrating splenic extension that measured 120 × 90 × 70 mm and a calcified satellite lesion. This case highlighted the diagnostic challenges in non-endemic settings and underscores the critical role of multi-diagnostic imaging in detecting complications and guiding surgical planning. This is particularly important when adjacent organ involvement alters clinical management.