Rupture of a giant cardiac hydatid cyst in the left ventricular free wall: successful surgical management of a rare entity.

Hydatid cyst of heart is a rare but potentially fatal site of pathology, especially left ventricular free wall. We managed a successful surgical treatment on a case of a 24 year old man who had a giant cardiac hydatid cyst (71 x 64 mm) that ruptured left ventricular free wall. The cyst was excised gently and all the cystic materials were removed, the cyst cavity was closed with GORE-TEX soft tissue patch. The patient was discharged on the 9th postoperative day without symptoms. This case is different from other cardiac hydatid cysts that have been reported in literature previously; because this patient was young and had advanced phase of the disease that presented to our clinic lately. Additionally, the cyst had limited both ventricular volumes significantly.