Staged Surgical Management in the Treatment of Primary Epidural Hydatidosis of the Spine: A Case Series and Review

Hydatid disease is a parasitic infection linked to the Echinococcus granulosus tapeworm. Infected cysts can present anywhere in the human body, but the liver is the most frequently involved organ, followed by the lungs. The prognosis is generally poor and may be comparable to that of neoplastic disease. Primary spinal hydatidosis accounts for less than 1% of all cases and virtually all these cases have extradural involvement. We describe a case review consisting of two patients who presented over a three week period with primary spinal extradural hydatidosis in the Western Cape region of South Africa. Both patients presented with lower limb paraparesis and were treated aggressively with two-stage surgical procedures, resulting in a dramatic improvement in their neurological status.