Background/aims: Opisthorchiasis, a helminthic infection occurring endemically in certain areas of Europe and Asia is caused by parasites of the class trematoda. Failure to treat or a significant delay in the institution of an adequate therapy can lead to considerable complications in the further course of the disease.
Case: A 56-year-old patient diagnosed with primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) with Child-Pugh stage B was referred to our surgical department from a peripheral hospital for liver transplantation. She had spent 50 years of her life in Kazakhstan.
Results: As the treatment of choice, orthotopic liver transplantation was carried out. The routine postoperative pathological analysis of the explanted liver showed the histological picture of opisthorchiasis. Further work-up in an effort to confirm the histological diagnosis was repeatedly negative.
Conclusions: Opisthorchiasis should always be a diagnostic consideration in an unclear case of chronic liver disease especially in patients living in endemic areas.