ABSTRACT

Spinal hydatid cyst disease comprises of less then 1% of all hydatid cyst cases. Primary spinal hydatid cyst disease is, however, very rarely reported in the literature. Spinal hydatid cyst disease may present with different neurological pictures according to the affected level and nerve root. A 29-year-old male patient admitted to our department with the complaints of low back and left leg pain. The magnetic resonance imaging of the patient revealed cystic lesions which had multilevel vertebrae involvement, paravertebral muscle invasion, narrowing the spinal canal and compressing the spinal cord. The patient was taken to surgery, and the biggest cystic mass located in the paravertebral muscles and the cystic masses invading the second lumbar vertebra were removed. Albendazole treatment was started to the patient in whom the diagnosis of hydatid cyst was established after the histopathological examination, and this treatment was continued for 12 months. The spinal canal was decompressed and the masses regressed to a large extent after the treatment. No recurrence was observed in the follow-up. Surgical treatment is essential for the diagnosis and spinal canal decompression in primary hydatid cyst disease. However long-term medical treatment following the sufficient decompression is necessary for optimal recovery.