title: Alveolar echinococcosis of the liver in children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Alveolar echinococcosis of the liver (AEL) is a zoonosis that is distributed in cold regions of the northern hemisphere. The disease is mostly found in adults and rarely in pediatric patients because it tends to be slow growing.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ten Japanese pediatric patients (under 15 years old) with AEL have been operated on in Hokkaido University Hospital from January 1936 to June 2008. We examined these children and revealed the characteristics of AEL.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The patients included three males and seven females whose mean age was 10.9 years old, ranging from 7 to 15. The length of follow-up was from 3 months to 33 years (median 19 years). Six cases were picked up by mass screening; nine cases who underwent hepatectomy are still alive and one case whose tumors were unresectable died of liver failure.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our cases indicate that some AEL pediatric patients advanced rapidly, so early detection is imperative. Thus, screening examinations are essential for children in contaminated areas and, if a liver tumor is found on a screening examination and diagnosed as AEL, complete radical resection should be performed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Digestive and General Surgery, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Kita-ku, Kita 15, Nishi 7, Sapporo 060-8638, Japan. ytadashi324@yahoo.co.jp
authors.forename: Tadashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yoshida
authors.forename: Toshiya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kamiyama
authors.forename: Tadao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Okada
authors.forename: Kazuaki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakanishi
authors.forename: Hideki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yokoo
authors.forename: Hirofumi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kamachi
authors.forename: Michiaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Matsushita
authors.forename: Naoki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: Fumiaki
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sasaki
authors.forename: Satoru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Todo
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000818:Animals; D000909:Antibodies, Helminth / Q000032:analysis; D000947:Antigens, Helminth / Q000032:analysis; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002648:Child; D003168:Complement Fixation Tests; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004444:Echinococcosis, Hepatic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000601:surgery; D004446:Echinococcus / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006386:Hemagglutination Tests; D006498:Hepatectomy; D006801:Humans; D007122:Immunoelectrophoresis; D015994:Incidence; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008099:Liver / Q000469:parasitology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D013997:Time Factors; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
chemical_list: D000909:Antibodies, Helminth; D000947:Antigens, Helminth