Hepatic Alveolar Echinococcosis: the Possibilities of Ultrasonographyin the Planning of Surgical Operation

Alveolar echinococcosis (AE) is a rare anthropozoonotic parasitic disease, which can affects the liver, lungs and other organs. R0-radical liver resection is the sole curative therapy for the patients with AE. Size of the parasitic foci, distant dissemination, and involvement of main liver vessels – all this information allows the surgeon to make the right decision about practicability and volume of operation. Formerly, ultrasonography (US) was not method of choice for the qualitative pre-operative diagnostic of AE. Nevertheless nowadays development of new technologies allows US to be an equal to CT and MRI.

The aim: to estimate the possibilities of US in the planning of surgery in patients with AE. Materials and methods. The data of 64 patients who were undergone complete liver resection or reduction surgery in A.V. Vishnevsky Surgery Institute in period from January 2008 to December 2016 we respectively analyzed. Specificity and sensitivity of US, CT and MRI were analyzed and ROC-curves were constructed. Statistical significance was calculated using Chi-square.

Results. The efficiency of US was significantly comparable to CT and MRI when we analyzed the involved of porta hepatis, vena cava, hepatic veins. Assessment of involvement of liver arteries and vena porta was not statistical significant.

Conclusion. Accumulated experience of A.V. Vishnevsky Surgery Institute shows the possibility of qualitative preoperationUS evaluation of AE-lesion, which has to include assessment of distant dissemination and involvement of the liver main vessels. In a big surgical hospitals, which has an experience of AE treatment, pre-operative US can become the method of choice in planning of surgical operation. 

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