Genitourinary Hydatid Disease: A Review

Parasitism means a temporary or permanent reciprocal association between two species, where one species depends upon another for its existence. The most important parasitic diseases involving the genitourinary system in humans are helminthic, where schistosomiasis is the commonest followed by hydatid disease (HD) and filariasis [1]. HD is a parasitic infestation, caused by tape worms of the genus Echinococcus, that usually involves the liver and lungs, although no organ is spared [2,3]. The varied presentations and complications of HD present routine surgical problems in endemic areas, although HD of the urinary tract is uncommon, comprising 2–4% of all cases [3]. This article reviews the epidemiology, etiopathogenesis, clinical features and presentations, medical and surgical treatment of genitourinary and pelvic echinococcosis with special reference to individual organs. In addition our own experience at our hospital in the last 4 years that we treated 4 cases of hydatid cysts of which 3 were renal HD and one was primary pelvic HD.