A rational approach to the terminology of hydatid disease of the liver.

Hydatid disease is one of the most important global health problems. Areas of progress in its management, however, remain unclear due to the incomplete, confusing and conflicting terms which have been used to describe it. To avoid this confusion it is proposed that the management of hydatid disease of the liver should be classified as follows. The hydatid cyst may be described as univesicular, multivesicular or secondary abdominal implantation. The surgical treatment of the cyst may be adequately described as either evacuation, enucleation, pericystectomy or hepatectomy and the method of treating the residual cavity in the liver following surgery as leaving open, suture-closure, closed tube drainage or marsupialisation. This classification is felt to be comprehensive and its application may avoid the confusion which is currently present in the literature on hydatid disease of the liver.