title: Sporadic incidence of Fascioliasis detected during hepatobiliary procedures: a study of 18 patients from Sulaimaniyah governorate.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Fascioliasis is an often-neglected zoonotic disease and currently is an emerging infection in Iraq. Fascioliasis has two distinct phases, an acute phase, exhibiting the hepatic migratory stage of the fluke's life cycle, and a chronic biliary phase manifested with the presence of the parasite in the bile ducts through hepatic tissue. The incidence of Fascioliasis in Sulaimaniyah governorate was unexpected observation. We believe that shedding light on this disease in our locality will increase our physician awareness and experience in early detection, treatment in order to avoid unnecessary surgeries.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We retrospectively evaluated this disease in terms of the demographic features, clinical presentations, and managements by reviewing the medical records of 18 patients, who were admitted to the Sulaimani Teaching Hospital and Kurdistan Centre for Gastroenterology and Hepatology. Patients were complained from hepatobiliary and/or upper gastrointestinal symptoms and diagnosed accidentally with Fascioliasis during hepatobiliary surgeries and ERCP by direct visualization of the flukes and stone analysis. Elevated liver enzymes, white blood cells count and eosinophilia were notable laboratory indices. The dilated CBD, gallstones, liver cysts and abscess were found common in radiological images. Fascioliasis diagnosed during conventional surgical CBD exploration and choledochodoudenostomy, open cholecystectomy, surgical drainage of liver abscess, ERCP and during gallstone analysis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Fascioliasis is indeed an emerging disease in our locality, but it is often underestimated and ignored. We recommend the differential diagnosis of patients suffering from Rt. Hypochondrial pain, fever and eosinophilia. The watercress ingestion was a common factor in patient's history.
authors.affiliation: Sulaimani Teaching Hospital, Dept of General Surgery, Sulaimaniyah, Kurdistan Region, Iraq. hawramytahir@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Tahir Abdullah Hussein
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Hawramy
authors.forename: Kamal Ahmed
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Saeed
authors.forename: Seerwan Hama Sharif
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Qaradaghy
authors.forename: Taha Ahmed
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Karboli
authors.forename: Beston Faiek
authors.initials: BF
authors.lastname: Nore
authors.forename: Noora Hisham Abood
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Bayati
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000818:Animals; D001659:Biliary Tract / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000473:pathology; D001662:Biliary Tract Surgical Procedures; D016145:Endoscopy, Digestive System; D005210:Fasciola hepatica / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000502:physiology; D005211:Fascioliasis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D033162:Incidental Findings; D007493:Iraq / Q000453:epidemiology; D008099:Liver / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D058069:Neglected Diseases