Hydatidosis of the Spine

Bone hydatidosis is rare in relation to the infestation of other organs, and it occurs in 0.5–3 % of hydatid disease. About 50 % of cases of bone hydatidosis are spinal. Neural compression is common, and spinal hydatidosis usually presents with paraplegia or nerve root compression. The spinal hydatidosis has no specific pathognomonic signs or symptoms. Its clinical manifestations are related to the destruction of bone or neurological deficits, so the diagnosis is always when the extension of the bone destructive process is important. The main symptoms are pain and neurological symptoms. The best diagnostic procedure is magnetic resonance imaging. Radical surgery is the treatment of choice; surgery should be similar to techniques used in tumoral surgery. Unfortunately, the major neurological injuries rarely recover. Adjuvant antihelminthic chemotherapy is essential to control the disease locally, avoid systemic spread, and prevent recurrence.