Pericystectomy for the treatment of hepatic hydatid cysts.

Management of the pericystic membrane is still a major problem in the treatment of hepatic hydatid disease. In a series of 23 patients with 45 cysts, complicated forms constituted 51% of all cysts. Radical removal, mainly by pericystectomy, was achieved in two thirds of cysts and in 50% of cases. Pericystectomy, if carried out in the correct plane of cleavage, is a safe procedure that ensures complete and rapid cure in appropriately selected cases.