Turkish Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation 2005 , Vol 51 , Num 3

An Unusual Cause of Paraplegia: Spinal Hydatid Cyst (Case Report)

Barın Selçuk 1 ,Yasemin Çolak 2 ,Gönül Uraloğlu 2 ,Aydan Kurtaran 3 ,Murat Ersöz 3 ,Selçuk Palaoğlu 4
1 Kocaeli Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi, Fiziksel Tıp ve Rehabilitasyon Anabilim Dalı, Kocaeli, Türkiye
2 Ankara Fizik Tedavi ve Rehabilitasyon Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi 1. Fizik Tedavi ve Rehabilitasyon Kliniği, Ankara
3 Ankara Fizik Tedavi ve Rehabilitasyon Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi, Ankara, Türkiye
4 Ankara Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey
5 Hacettepe Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Beyin ve Sinir Cerrahisi Anabilim Dalı, Ankara

Although it is an uncommon manifestation of hydatid diseases, bone involvement is found in 1% of patients afflicted with this disease. The spine is involved in about 50% of cases.  Neural involvement is usually in the form of paraplegia/tetraplegia or radiculopathy. A 37 years old woman applied to our outpatient clinic with complaints involving low back pain, impaired leg movement, urinary and anal incontinence. Magnetic resonance imaging of the spine revealed a cystic lesion at the level of T11 in the patient whom the neurologic examination revealed complete paraplegia. The clinical presentation, diagnosis and rehabilitation of hydatid cyst which is a rare cause of paraplegia were being discussed and a brief review of the literature was being presented in this case report.

Keywords : Spinal hydatid cyst, paraplegia, echinococcus, rehabilitatio