Hydatid cyst in the biceps and gluteus muscles: case report

Abstract

Background: Primary hydatid disease in the muscle is extremely rare. Usually, intramuscular hydatid cysts are secondary, resulting either from the spread of cysts spontaneously or after operations for hydatidosis in distant regions.

Methods: Report of two unusual cases of primary hydatid cysts in the gluteus and biceps brachii muscles, behaving as enlarging soft-tissue tumors, with review of the pertinent English-language literature.

Results: Magnetic resonance imaging and ultrasound examinations revealed an intramuscular cyst in the anterior aspect of one patient's biceps brachii and the other patient's gluteus maximus muscle; and no cyst existed in any other location. The cysts were excised totally, and the diagnosis of muscular hydatidosis was confirmed by histopathologic examination. In followup of two years after the operation, there has been no recurrence in either patient.

Conclusion: In geographic regions where hydatidosis is endemic, hydatid cyst should be included in the differential diagnosis of a cystic mass in the muscle to avoid fine-needle biopsy and the consequences of spillage of cyst contents.