A rare cause of peripheral arterial embolism: ruptured cardiac hydatid cyst.

One of the important unfavorable events that occur during the course of the cardiac hydatid cyst is rupture of the cyst and embolism of the germinative membrane. Peripheral arterial embolism of this germinative membrane is uncommon but is a potential risk due to the nature of the disease. Ruptured cardiac hydatid cyst should be suspected in young patients who have a peripheral arterial embolism and come from sheep-raising areas and/or if they have a suspected embolectomy material resembling germinative membrane. Following the embolectomy and reconstruction of the circulation in the involved extremity, ruptured cardiac hydatid cyst should be diagnosed immediately and excision of the cardiac cyst should be performed as quickly as possible. In this case report, we present two patients who had lower extremity embolism originating from the ruptured cardiac hydatid cyst and were operated on for cardiac cyst excision.