[Splenic hydatid cyst].

The localization of hexacanth embryo at spleen level is quite rare, although, in frequency order, it is the third affected organ after liver and lung. The infestation of the spleen usually takes place by arterial route after the parasite has passed through the two other filters, hepatic and pulmonary. The retrograde venous route, which avoids the liver and lung, is also considered. The diagnosis of splenic echinococcosis is made with the clinical, epidemiological and laboratory findings. The treatment is surgical, consisting, most commonly, in splenectomy; the anastomoses of splenic hydatid cysts with the digestive tube are indicated only in those cases with peculiar evolutive forms; cystotomy, with removal of the content and drainage of the remnant cavity, surgery performed either on abdominal or lumbar route, is the method of choice in the suppurated cysts which fix, by adherences, the spleen to its lodge.