%0 Journal Article
%T Subcutaneous hydatid cysts occurring in the palm and the thigh: two case reports
%A Abuzer Dirican
%A Bulent Unal
%A Cuneyt Kayaalp
%A Vedat Kirimlioglu
%J Journal of Medical Case Reports
%D 2008
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1752-1947-2-273
%X A 64-year-old male farmer visited our hospital because a swelling on the right medial thigh had grown during the last year. Superficial ultrasound and computed tomography revealed a lesion resembling a hydatid cyst. A germinative membrane was encountered during surgical excision. Pathological examination was compatible with a hydatid cyst. The second case involved a 67-year-old male farmer who complained of a swelling that had grown in his left palm in the last year. The preliminary diagnosis was a lipoma. However, a hydatid cyst was diagnosed during surgical excision and after the pathological examination. The patient did not have a history of hydatid cyst disease and hydatid cysts were not detected in other organs. There has been no disease recurrence after following both patients for 3 years.A hydatid cyst should be considered in the differential diagnosis of subcutaneous cystic lesions in regions where hydatid cysts are endemic, and should be excised totally, with an intact wall, to avoid recurrence.A hydatid cyst is a parasitosis caused by the larval form of Echinococcus granulosus or rarely Echinococcus alveolaris. The main hosts for E. granulosus are predators such as dogs, wolves, and foxes, while intermediate hosts include sheep, goats, and cattle. Humans are a coincidental intermediate host. The disease is more frequent in the Middle East, Central Europe, Australia, and South America, where the intermediate hosts are common. The organs affected most often are the liver (70%) and lungs (10¨C15%). Other locations are extremely rare [1]. Primary subcutaneous hydatid cyst is very rare and the incidence is unknown. In this report, we present two cases of primary hydatid cysts located subcutaneously: one in the medial thigh and one in the hand.A 64-year-old male farmer visited our clinic because of a swelling on the medial thigh that had grown during the last year. On physical examination, a mobile, painless, fluctuant, 8 ¡Á 9 cm mass was palpated. The overlying s
%U http://www.jmedicalcasereports.com/content/2/1/273