Growth Rate of Cerebral Hydatid Cyst, with a Review of the Literature

This extremely rare case was one of secondary solitary cerebral echinococcosis associated with possible cerebral thromboembolism. A 7-year-old girl living in a rural area was admitted to our hospital with a history of headache, right-sided hemiparesis, and dysphasia. She had been treated 6 months previously for a cerebral infarct, diagnosed from sudden altered consciousness and a myoclonic generalised convulsion. The growth rate determined for the cerebral hydatid cyst was about 4.5 cm during the 6-month period. In children a parasitic cyst can be the source of a cerebral embolus, particularly in areas where hydatid disease resulting from cardiac echinococcosis is endemic.