title: Spinal cord compression due to a primary vertebral hydatid disease: A rare case report in metropolitan France and a literature review.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Bone echinococcosis or bone hydatidosis is mainly caused by the larva of a dog taenia, Echinococcus granulosus. We described a rare imported case in metropolitan France of spinal cord compression from a primary vertebral hydatidosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  A 25-year-old woman, native of a rural area in the South of Romania, was admitted for backache and slight weakness of both legs. Radiological findings showed a paravertebral pluricystic lesion invading the spinal canal with spinal cord compression at the T9 level, without associated visceral localization. We performed an urgent surgical decompression using a posterior approach. The whole extradural cysts were carefully excised with irrigation of the cystic fluid with hypertonic saline. Treatment was completed with long-term anti-parasitic chemotherapy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Bone echinococcosis is rare and represents about 2% of hydatidosis. The spine localization is found in half of the cases. This pathology particularly occurs in the Eastern and Southern countries of Mediterranean sheep breeding areas, but still rare in metropolitan France. Spinal cord compression is a frequent presentation of spinal hydatidosis but neurological symptoms are various and non-specific. The reference treatment is removal surgery with particular precautions, followed by an anti-parasitic chemotherapy (albendazole) to limit recurrences. However, a long-term follow-up is mandatory due to later recurrences.
authors.affiliation: Service de neurochirurgie, hôpital Pasteur, CHU de Nice, 30, voie Romaine, 06300 Nice, France. Electronic address: antoine_gennari@hotmail.fr.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gennari
authors.affiliation: Service de neurochirurgie, hôpital Pasteur, CHU de Nice, 30, voie Romaine, 06300 Nice, France.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Almairac
authors.affiliation: Service de neurochirurgie, hôpital Pasteur, CHU de Nice, 30, voie Romaine, 06300 Nice, France.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Litrico
authors.affiliation: Service de rhumatologie, hôpital des Broussailles, centre hospitalier de Cannes, 06400 Cannes, France.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Albert
authors.affiliation: Service de parasitologie, hôpital de l'Archet, CHU de Nice, 06300 Nice, France.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Marty
authors.affiliation: Service de neurochirurgie, hôpital Pasteur, CHU de Nice, 30, voie Romaine, 06300 Nice, France.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Paquis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D019299:Decompression, Surgical / Q000379:methods; D004443:Echinococcosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D013117:Spinal Cord Compression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D013122:Spinal Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology*; D013904:Thoracic Vertebrae / Q000601:surgery*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods
keywords: Albendazole; Bone; Echinococcus granulosus; Hydatidosis; Spinal cord compression; Spine