Albendazole plus praziquantel versus albendazole alone as a pre-operative treatment in intra-abdominal hydatisosis caused by Echinococcus granulosus.

OBJECTIVE

To compare the effects of a combined medication of albendazole (10 mg/kg/day) plus praziquantel (25 mg/kg/day) to those of albendazole alone at different doses (10 and 20 mg/kg/day).

METHOD: The protoscoleces' viability was studied in a consecutive series of patients affected by intra-abdominal hydatidosis caused by Echinococcus granulosus. In all cases the drugs were given during the month prior to surgery.

RESULTS

A significant increase of patients with nonviable protoscoleces was observed in the group treated with the scolicides combination compared to those treated with albendazole alone, both at a dose of 10 mg/kg/day (P = 0.004) and at a dose of 20 mg/kg/day (P = 0.03). Albendazole sulphoxide levels in serum and in cyst fluid were higher in patients given the combined therapy than in those who received only albendazole (10 mg/kg/day: P = 0.016; 20 mg/kg/day: P = 0.034). Levels in the cysts were not significantly different probably due to the sample size; nevertheless a lineal relation between the values obtained in serum and inside the cysts could be discerned in the patients treated with the combined medication.

CONCLUSION

Albendazole plus praziquantel is more effective than monotherapy with albendazole in the preoperative treatment of intra-abdominal hydatidosis.