Abstract：
Echinococcus granulosus larvae can cause cystic echinococcosis (CE, also known as hydatid disease) in humans. The latent phase of hydatid disease lasts for years as a result of the slow growth of the cysts, which only become symptomatic when they are large. Therefore, CE is seldomly seen in very young children. Here we present a 4-year-old boy with two giant asymptomatic abdominal cysts. Ultrasound was inconclusive in regard to the nature of the cysts and serology for echinococcosis was negative, rendering CE improbable also in view of the young age. Nevertheless, in the absence of other conclusive explanations, the patient was started on albendazole. A subsequent diagnostic percutaneous puncture with direct microscopy of cyst fluid revealed parasitological evidence of echinococcosis. This case report shows that CE can present with giant cysts also at very young age and should be considered as a possible diagnosis in all children with giant abdominal cysts.
摘要：
细粒棘球蚴幼虫可引起囊性包虫病(CE，也称为包虫病）。包虫病的潜伏期由于囊肿的缓慢生长而持续数年,只有当它们很大时才会出现症状。因此,在很小的孩子身上很少见到CE。在这里，我们介绍了一个4岁的男孩，他有两个巨大的无症状的腹部囊肿。超声检查对囊肿的性质尚无定论，棘球蚴病的血清学检查呈阴性，考虑到年轻的年龄，CE也是不可能的。然而，在没有其他结论性解释的情况下，患者开始服用阿苯达唑.随后的诊断性经皮穿刺并直接对囊肿液进行显微镜检查，发现了棘球蚴病的寄生虫学证据。该病例报告显示，CE也可以在很小的时候出现巨大囊肿，应被视为所有患有巨大腹部囊肿的儿童的可能诊断。
