Razi Journal of Medical Sciences

    Introduction: Cystic hydatid disease(cystic echinococcosis) is a zoonotic infection of humans caused by the larval stage of the tapeworm Echinococcus Granulosus. Most of the human infections are caused by eating the materials infected with dog’s feces. The oval form would penetrate into the bowels and reach the liver, lung and other organs through the portal vein. Then, there, it would turn into the cystic form. 50% of these cysts are seen in the liver, 30% in the lungs and 20% in other organs. Head and neck involvement is very rare. Case Report: The present article reports a case of isolated parotid gland hydatid cyst. The patient was a young woman who suffered from facial nerve palsy(temporal branch) due to the compressive effect of the cyst. A superficial parotidectomy was performed and the diagnosis was confirmed by the pathologist. The patient was then treated with albendazole(2 courses of a 2-week treatment). No other organ involvement was detected. Conclusion: The incidence of hydatid disease in head and neck is very rare. In endemic regions, the presence of head and neck masses with progressive enlargement should arouse suspicion as to hydatid disease. Iran is also endemic for hydatid disease and this should be considered as one of the differential diagnoses of head and neck masses.