Assessment of liver hydatid cyst cases--10 years experience in Turkey.

We analysed 73 hydatid cyst patients according to their age, gender, localization, number of cysts, infectivity, symptoms, physical examination findings, presence of accompanying diseases, and diagnostic methods. Female/male ratio was 1.6/1. In total, 69% of cases had a single cyst and 31% multiple cysts. Of the cysts, 61% were in form of "eau de roche" and the rest infective. The mean age was 42.3 years, ranging from 18 to 85 years. The most common symptom was abdominal pain in 74% of patients. Right lobe involvement was encountered in 65% of cases, left lobe in 13%, and left and right in 8%. In 27% of patients, cholelithiasis was the most common accompanying disease. As an imaging technique ultrasound was the most commonly used diagnostic technique.