Cardiac echinococcosis and systemic embolism. Report of a case.

We report the case of a 13-year-old boy who, previously in a healthy condition, was admitted to hospital with an acute ischemia of the lower half of the trunk following a slight traumatism. During the surgical operation it was noticed that the embolized material corresponded to hydatid vesicles. The patient died as a result of irreversible anaphylactic shock after the operation. The autopsy revealed the presence of a hydatid cyst in the posterior wall of the left atrium which had ruptured into the atrial cavity. The immediate exeresis of the cardiac cyst is suggested, when it is noticed that the embolized material is made up of hydatid vesicles located in the left cavities of the heart.