Perioperative benzimidazole therapy in human hydatid liver disease.

Primary treatment of liver hydatidosis is surgical, but the recurrence rate is about 10%. To minimize the risk of recurrence, 67 consecutive patients with liver hydatidosis were prospectively treated by mebendazole or albendazole for 5 days before surgery. During the operation the viability of the protoscoleces was assessed. Seventeen patients who had viable protoscoleces at the time of the operation received the same benzimidazole one extra month postoperatively, while the remaining 50 patients who had dead protoscoleces didn't receive postoperative therapy. None of the patients developed recurrence of the disease after a follow-up period of 15-67 months (average 41 months). These results suggest that a 5-day preoperative benzimidazole therapy either combined or not with a monthly postoperative course according to the viability of the protoscoleces at the time of operation, may erase the risk of recurrence after surgical treatment of the liver hydatidosis.