Postoperative alveolar hydatid disease with cutaneous-subcutaneous involvement.

The first Japanese case of alveolar hydatid disease with cutaneous-subcutaneous lesions is reported. The patient, a 58-year-old man who developed an indurated subcutaneous tumor on the right side of the abdomen, had had partial hepatectomy of the right lobe for echinococcosis thirteen years earlier. Clinically, the tumor was adherent with a fistulosis communication to deeper structures. Histopathologically, multiple PAS-positive cuticular layers with foreign body granulomas and fibrosis were observed between the dermis and subcutaneous fatty tissue. Surgical excision of the swelling provided the patient with temporary relief. To our knowledge, only eight cases of subcutaneous alveolar hydatid disease have been reported throughout the world. Ours, the ninth case, highlights the importance and difficulty of treating of alveolar hydatid disease.