Clinical, socioeconomic and surgical characteristics of surgically treated cystic echinococcosis patients in Jordan.

INTRODUCTION

Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is a zoonotic infection transmitted through the fecal-oral route, most commonly affecting the liver and lungs, and is endemic in many Mediterranean countries, including Jordan. While often diagnosed incidentally on imaging, hepatic involvement may present with abdominal pain, and lung involvement typically causes chronic cough, chest pain, or shortness of breath.

METHODS

This retrospective descriptive study was conducted at Al-Basheer Public Hospital in Amman between 2018 and 2024. All 83 adult patients with surgically confirmed cystic echinococcosis were enrolled in this study. The following information regarding demographic, socioeconomic, lifestyle exposure and clinical variables was extracted from the medical and operative records of the study population.

RESULTS

The study involved 83 patients, with 61.5% having liver cystic echinococcosis, 21.7% having lung cystic echinococcosis, and 16.9% having involvement in both organs. The maximum number of cases were observed in females (78.3%) and in the age group 18-30 years (39.1%). The study participants were primarily unemployed and from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. The predominant presentation in liver cystic echinococcosis was abdominal pain. Laparoscopic surgery was significantly associated with liver cystic echinococcosis and open surgery in lung cystic echinococcosis (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

The research showed that liver cystic echinococcosis occurred more frequently than lung cystic echinococcosis among surgically treated patients, with a higher proportion of female patients among admitted cases. Hospitalization was significantly shorter for liver surgery compared to lung surgery in patients with combined organ involvement.