title: Can Large Hydatid Cysts Resolve with Medical Treatment Alone?
abstract: A 66-year-old female from a rural area in South Africa presented with non-life-threatening haemoptysis. Radiologic and serological investigations attributed her symptoms to bilateral, large echinococcal cysts. She declined surgery despite her lung physiologic parameters, which deemed her eligible. Medical therapy with oral albendazole was initiated with excellent clinical and radiologic response during a follow-up period of 18 months. To our knowledge, this is one of the first reported cases in the literature that shows complete resolution of bilateral large echinococcal cysts with medical treatment alone in an adult patient.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonology, Department of Medicine, Stellenbosch University and Tygerberg Academic Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa.
authors.forename: Donald
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Simon
authors.forename: Coenraad F N
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Koegelenberg
authors.forename: Soumitra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sinha Roy
authors.forename: Brian W
authors.initials: BW
authors.lastname: Allwood
authors.forename: Elvis M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Irusen
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D015766:Albendazole / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000871:Anthelmintics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004445:Echinococcosis, Pulmonary / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D013902:Radiography, Thoracic; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000871:Anthelmintics; D015766:Albendazole