Echinococcal cyst of the liver: diagnosis and surgical management.

The encysted larval form of Echinococcus granulosus may infest man as an incidental host. The liver is the organ most commonly involved, but the lung and brain may be affected. The disease is endemic where sheep are raised with dogs in a pastoral environment. Areas of high endemicity exist in rural North America. Human echinococcal disease is now seen in urban medical centers because of the changing patterns of migration and immigration. An echinococcal cyst of the liver is reported in a resident of the New York City metropolitan area. Details of the life cycle, pathology, diagnostic imaging techniques and surgical management of hydatid cysts are reviewed.