Pericardial Hydatid Disease

 Humans become infected during accidental ingestion of food or water contaminated by tapeworm eggs. After the eggs are ingested, they pass into the small bowel, where they are absorbed. Next, parasites travel through the bloodstream and eventually establish cystic lesions in various organs. The liver is the most likely organ to be involved through portal drainage, but any organ may be infected (1). Our patient was a farmer at a village of Kars city and had a great number of dogs in his house.

The heart is rarely involved in echinococcal disease. Cysts may reach the heart through the lymphatic system or by escaping the liver and lung filters during the primary infection (2). The distribution of cardiac echinococcosis parallels that of coronary blood flow, and most lesions (60%) occur within the left ventricle. Fifteen percent of lesions affect the right ventricle, and 15% affect the ventricular septum. Atrial involvement is rare. Two to 10% of cysts occur in the pericardium (3). Clinical presentation of a cardiac hydatid cyst varies widely and its diagnosis is very difficult. As well as being small and solitary, cardiac cysts may remain asymptomatic for many years. When they are huge or exist in large numbers, they may lead to symptoms and signs similar to the mass of a cardiac tumor. They may cause many cardiac events such as angina pectoris, palpitations, and arrhythmias (4).