Hydatid cyst of the kidney in the child: Report of 8 cases

Objective: The aim of the study is to analyze the epidemiological, clinical, investigational features, the evolution, and the therapeutic procedures for the renal hydatid cyst in children. Patients and methods: This is a retrospective study of 8 Children operated between 1995 and 2011, for renal hydatid cysts. Results: The age of the patients was between 3 and 14 years (mean 8.5 years). There were 3 boys and 5 girls with a sex ratio of 0,6. Abdominal pain was the presenting symptom in 4 cases. The diagnosis was confirmed on the basis of radiologic data and hydatid serology. Open surgery was performed in 4 cases, laparoscopy in 3 cases and retroperitoneoscopy in one. Follow-up was uneventful for all cases. Conclusion: The treatment of the renal hydatid cyst in children is essentially surgical and always conservative. It may be done through open surgery or video-assisted surgery which has the advantage of being minimally invasive.