Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of albendazole (ABZ) in the treatment of hepatic cystic echinococcosis (HCE). Methods Randomised trials and quasi-randomised trials of ABZ for treating HCE were sought by electronic and handsearching. Studies were analyzed according to the methods recommended by The Cochrane Collabration. Results Only two studies met the inclusion criteria. The quality of both was graded as B. One study compared ABZ with mebendazole (MBZ). This showed similar effective rates in the numbers of cysts and cases [RR 1.19, 95%CI (0.97, 1.46)] and [RR 1.35, 95%CI (0.91, 2.00)]. The other study compared ABZ plus surgery with surgery alone.This showed that efficacy was comparable between one-month treatment of ABZ plus surgery and surgery alone [RR 1.63, 95%CI (0.90, 2.93)]; but that 3 months of treatment with ABZ plus surgery could significantly improve the efficacy compared to surgery alone [RR 1.89, 95% CI (1.09, 3.29)]. Conclusion In the treatment of HCE, ABZ has similar efficacy on MBZ; long-term (3 months) treatment of ABZ given before surgery may improve the efficacy when compared to surgery alone. More high-quality randomised trials are required to define the role of ABZ in treating HCE.
ObjectiveTo analyze the efficacy and safety of complete excision of the external capsule in the treatment of hepatic echinococcosis.MethodsThe clinical data of 90 patients with hepatic cystic echinococcosis admitted to our hospital from January 2016 to March 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. According to the different surgical methods, this patients were divided into two groups: the partial hepatectomy group and complete excision of the external capsule group, 45 cases in each group. The patient's general condition and the situation during hospitalization were analyzed, and the intraoperative conditions, postoperative complications, recurrence and mortality after one year in different surgical methods were compared.ResultsThe operative time and intraoperative blood loss in the partial hepatectomy group was significantly longer or more than that in the complete excision of the external capsule group (P<0.05), respectively. There was no significant difference between the two groups in hospitalization time (P>0.05). The incidence of postoperative complications was 11.11% in the partial hepatectomy group and 8.88% in the complete excision of the external capsule group. There was no significant difference between the two groups (P>0.05). After 1 year of followed-up, the recurrence rate of the partial hepatectomy group was 4.44%, and there was no recurrence in the complete excision of the external capsule group, and there was no significant difference between the two groups (P>0.05). There was no death in both groups.ConclusionsIn the surgical treatment of hepatic cystic echinococcosis, the most appropriate surgical method should be selected according to the specific conditions of the patient, and the complete excision of the external capsule has higher therapeutic effect and safety in the treatment of hepatic echinococcosis. It is worthy of clinical promotion.
Echinococcosis is a zoonotic disease that seriously threatened human health. The disease is widely distributed in China, including in Tibet Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Sichuan Province, and other places, which has become a social and economic burden in China. Human beings are mainly infected with alveolar echinococcosis (AE) and cystic echinococcosis (CE), which mainly involves liver, lung, brain, bone, and other organs or tissues. The surgical resection is the first line treatment, and antiparasitic agents therapy is the main supplementary or salvage treatment method. Currently, classic drugs mainly include albendazole and praziquantel, which use alone or in combination. There are also some attempts to treat echinococcosis, including broad-spectrum anti infective drugs such as nitrozotocin, cell proliferation inhibiting drugs such as bortezomib, metabolic drugs such as metformin, or traditional medicines such as Artemisinin. It was also suggested to adopt a cancer management model for echinococcosis, and the imaging follow-up time for CE after antiparasitic chemotherapy should be at least 3 years, and for AE should be at least 10 years. More importantly, measures such as education and vaccine inoculation should be taken to actively prevent and control the occurrence and spread of echinococcosis.