Introduction: Hydatid disease is caused by the parasite Echinococcus granulosus which is also known as the dog tapeworm. This disease is a relatively uncommon cause of spinal cord and dural compression.

Case Report: We came across a peculiar case in a 41-year-old male patient who presented to us with pus discharge from a surgical wound over lower back for 10 days. The patient was a diagnosed as a case of lumbar canal stenosis with recurrent hydatid cyst. The patient had neurological involvement in the form of left-sided foot drop. The patient gave a history of lumbar canal stenosis secondary to hydatid cyst, for which decompression and cyst excision were done 3 years prior. The patient was re-operated in the form of wound debridement with removal of hydatid cyst.

Conclusion: Meticulous surgery avoiding spillage of cyst material, appropriate medication as advised by the infectious disease specialist, will avoid recurrence of the disease.

Keywords: Lumbar spine, hydatid cyst, Echinococcus granulosus

Click here to read similar articles from PubMed