Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
3420927 | Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene | 2009 | 11 Pages |
Abstract
Twenty patients with primary hepatic alveolar echinococcosis were treated with continuous long-term albendazole at a dose of 20 mg/kg/d for an average of 5.7 years (1.5-13.5 years) and were followed up for an average of 12.7 years (4.1-13.5 years). The therapeutic effects were evaluated by clinical, laboratory (haemogram, liver function tests), ultrasonography and computed tomography (CT) examinations. The CT pattern of hepatic lesions was classified into three types: solid form (5 cases), pseudocystic form (6 cases) and 'geographic map' (mixed) form (9 cases). Short-term results were encouraging. Jaundice and haemoptysis disappeared within 1 month of starting treatment, and hemiparesis in a patient with cerebral metastases also gradually improved. Treatment was less effective in two patients with advanced disease. On long-term follow-up, three patients were apparently cured, and the remaining 17 patients showed a good initial response, but recurrence occurred in 13 patients (65%). Therapeutic outcome was favourable with the solid form, but poor with the pseudocystic form. The mixed form was a transitional phase and slowly progressive. Involvement of the porta hepatis was the cause of various complications with high morbidity and mortality. Five patients (25%) died during the period of observation, the 10-year survival rate being, therefore, 75%.
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Authors
Yue Han Liu, Xiao Gen Wang, Jin Song Gao, Yun QingYao, John Horton,