An unusual cause of hoarseness: hydatid cyst of the thyroid.

Hydatid cyst is a parasitic infestation that is distributed world-wide. It may be found in nearly any part of the body, most often in the liver and the lungs, but occasionally in other structures such as the thyroid gland. Thyroid gland is very rarely involved by this parasitic infection even in Turkey where the echinococcal disease is endemic. In this article we report a very rarely encountered case of thyroid cyst revealed by hoarseness, and underwent subtotal thyroidectomy and diagnosed as primary hydatid cyst disease by histological studies.