Primary cerebral hydatid cyst with orbital extension: A case report

Hydatid cyst, which is caused by the cestode echinococcus granulosus, is endemic in many countries around the world. Despite the frequency of this disease, no previous case of cerebral hydatid cyst with orbital extension has been reported, demonstrating the scarcity of this presentation. Cerebral hydatid cyst may be primary or secondary. Given to the nonspecifity of the clinical symptoms, cross sectional imaging, including CT and MRI, play an important role in the diagnosis by ruling out differential diagnoses, which are represented essentially by neoplastic and nonneoplastic intraparenchymal cysts as well as brain abscesses. Surgery remains the cornerstone treatment for cerebral and orbital hydatid cyst. In this article, we present the imaging findings of a patient with a primary cerebral hydatid cyst with orbital extension, and also the radiological features that could eliminate other differential diagnoses.