Multiple Hypodense Liver Tumors: Unusual Case of a Spontaneously Healed Echinococcosis
Tobias Friedrich *
Hospital Barmherzige Brüder Munich, Department of Internal Medicine, Germany.
Natalie Woehrle
Hospital Barmherzige Brüder Munich, Department of Radiology, Germany.
Tobias Jakobs
Hospital Barmherzige Brüder Munich, Department of Radiology, Germany.
Diana Karimi
Pathology Munich-North, Germany.
Christian Rust
Hospital Barmherzige Brüder Munich, Department of Internal Medicine, Germany.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
A 62 year old woman suffered from unspecific upper abdominal pain. Abdominal imaging showed multiple liver tumors highly suspicious for malignancy. Although a first needle biopsy was suggestive for an echinoccocus cyst, repeated serologic testing for echinococcosis was negative. Only after surgical resection of one tumor nodule, a spontaneously healed Echinococcus multilocularis could be diagnosed.
Therefore echinococcosis should always be considered as a possible differential diagnosis of liver tumors in Central Europe. Spontaneous death of Echinococcus multilocularis hydatids as described in this case is rare, but might be underreported in the literature.
Keywords: Liver tumor, alveolar echinococcosis, Echinococcus multilocularis, alveolar hydatid disease.