Evaluation of tube drainage method in the treatment of hydatid cyst of liver.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: It has been reported that surgical methods such as marsupialization and tube drainage were unfavorable due to their possible complications in surgical treatment of hydatid cyst in liver. We aimed to compare tube drainage technique with other surgical modalities.

METHODOLOGY

Seventy-two patients who underwent surgical treatment due to hydatid cyst of liver in Haseki Education and Research Hospital between 2000 and 2003 constituted our study group. The mean age of patients was 42 +/- 17 years, 31 being male and 41 being female. Tube drainage was applied to 32 patients, whereas the remaining 40 patients were treated by other surgical methods such as omentoplasty, total cystectomy, intraflexion, capitonnage. These two groups of patients were compared with each other according to their postoperative hospitalization time and resulting complications.

RESULTS

The complication rate was 28.1% in patients who underwent tube drainage. Their mean postoperative hospitalization time was 7.3 +/- 3.19 days. The complication rate was 17.5% in patients who underwent any kind of surgery other than tube drainage. Their mean postoperative hospitalization time was 7.4 +/- 4.5 days. No statistical significant difference was found in the comparison of these two groups concerning both the postoperative hospitalization time and the rate of complications (p > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The method of tube drainage is a safe surgical modality in the treatment of hydatid cyst disease of liver if applied properly on appropriate patient according to the data we obtained.