Background: There is no consensus on the surgical treatment of children with hydatid cyst of the liver (HCL). We evaluated the outcomes of laparoscopic and open surgery for childhood HCL.
Methods: We performed 81 open surgery and laparoscopic procedures in 37 (45.7%) boys and 44 (54.3%) girls with HCL (mean age 9.3 ± 2.1 years) who were assigned to a main group (laparoscopy, n = 21) and a control group (open surgery, n = 60). Clinical assessments, surgical durations, complications, and postoperative outcomes were investigated. Cyst types in the two groups were I (Gharbi)/CE 1 (WHO-IWGE), 71.4 and 58.3%, respectively; II/CE 2, 19.1 and 25.0%, respectively; and III/CE 3, 9.5 and 16.7%, respectively. The parasitic hydatid cysts were located mostly in the right liver lobe in both the main and control groups (90.4 and 80.0%, respectively).
Results: Hospital stays were significantly (p < 0.05) longer in patients in the control group (12.1 ± 1.5 vs. 5.6 ± 2.2 days). Operation time was significantly (p < 0.01) shorter for the main group (90.1 ± 7.8 vs. 120.6 ± 5.3 min). Local complications (residual cavity infection, biliary fistula) occurred in 21.6% of patients in the control group and 14.3% in the main group. Each was treated, and none recurred. There were no apparent systemic complications.
Conclusions: Laparoscopic surgical treatment for children with HCL is safe in compliance with all classic open surgery principles. The laparoscopic technique offered a shorter duration of the surgical effects and markedly fewer postoperative complications.