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Hydatidosis of the Skull

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Hydatidosis of the Central Nervous System: Diagnosis and Treatment

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Abstract

Cranial hydatid cyst is a relatively rare condition. In world literature, many reports of hydatid disease involving skull and cranial cavity are available, but most of them are either case reports or small series. It is a part of the hydatidosis, a zoonotic disease mostly caused by Echinococcus granulosus larva. It travels from the gut through portal and systemic circulation to the skull and brain. In the cranial bone it involves the diploic space, and in the cranial cavity it can involve the extradural and intradural intracerebral compartment and forms cystic lesion in those spaces. As the cyst grows, the bone undergoes pressure atrophy and the inner or outer table of the skull ruptures. The inner table of the skull more frequently ruptures, and the vesicular larva passes into the epidural space inducing symptoms of increased intracranial pressure. It can present with skull swelling or features of raised intracranial pressure, hydrocephalus, and/or focal neurological signs and seizure. Usually, it does not have any systemic signs unless it ruptures or gets infected. It can be diagnosed by x-ray, ultrasonogram, computed tomography scan, and magnetic resonance imaging. Treatment of the cranial hydatid cyst includes both medical and surgical approaches. Albendazole is the mostly used drug for hydatidosis. Total excision of the cyst along with the cyst wall without rupture of the cyst is the optimum surgical treatment.

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Acknowledgments

I am expressing my heartfelt thanks and gratitude to Ass. Professor Mehmet Turgut, MD, PhD, the editor of this book who invited and encouraged me to write this chapter. I am indebted to my patient Mrs. Rozina Akhter who permitted me to use her photographs and CT scan report for publication and for any academic purpose.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical Neurosurgery, National Institute of Neurosciences and Hospital, Dhaka, 1207, Bangladesh

    Zahed Hossain MD, MBBS, FCPS, MS

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  1. Zahed Hossain MD, MBBS, FCPS, MS
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Correspondence to Zahed Hossain MD, MBBS, FCPS, MS .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurosurgery, Adnan Menderes University School of Medicine, Aydin, Turkey

    Mehmet Turgut

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Hossain, Z. (2014). Hydatidosis of the Skull. In: Turgut, M. (eds) Hydatidosis of the Central Nervous System: Diagnosis and Treatment. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-54359-3_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-54359-3_5

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