Echinococcosis of the Right Ventricle: Case Report and Review of the Literature

Abstract

Echinococcosis is a parasitosis that is endemic in many parts of the world. Cardiac involvement is rare at (˂ 3%) or 0.5-2% of all cardiac involvement let alone right chamber involvement. We have reported a case of a 15 year old girl with echinococcosis of the right ventricle in the interventricular septum. The diagnosis was made in the presence of palpitations, an electrocardiogram showing sinus tachycardia with a right bundle branch block, a hydatid cyst demonstrated by transthoracic echography and cardiac CT scan with confirmation by serology. Management was by resection of the cyst with administration of albendazol 400mg/dr for 1 month and then every 15 days for 6 months with a favourable evolution. Morocco is an endemic area for echinococcus granulosus, which occurs in young people and is predominantly female. There is no characteristic clinical picture of the hydatid cyst of the heart and the clinical symptomatology is variable, depending on the stage of development of the cyst. The diagnosis is made on the basis of a number of arguments, with serological confirmation or, even more so, immunoblot, looking for specific antibodies. Management is done without delay by surgical method: cystectomy associated with aspiration of the liquid remains the most used method in 69% of cases followed by the careful padding technique in 62.5% and perikystectomy in 31%. In inoperable forms or as a complement to surgery if there is a risk of insemination, the WHO recommends albendazole at a dose of 10 to 15 mg/kg/day in courses of one month then spaced 15 days apart, for 6 months.