Hints for control of infection in unique extrahepatic vertebral alveolar echinococcosis

• Published in: Infection Vol. 45; no. 3; pp. 365 - 368
• Main Authors: Faucher, Jean-François, Descotes-Genon, Cécile, Hoen, Bruno, Godard, Joël, Félix, Sophie, Aubry, Sébastien, Blagosklonov, Oleg, Grenouillet, Frédéric, Brientini, Marie-Pascale, Richou, Carine, Bresson-Hadni, Solange, Chirouze, Catherine
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.06.2017; Springer Nature B.V; Springer Verlag
• Subjects: Albendazole; Albendazole - therapeutic use; Alveoli; Animals; Anticestodal Agents - therapeutic use; Case Report; Cirrhosis; Dosage; Echinococcosis; Echinococcosis, Hepatic - diagnosis; Echinococcosis, Hepatic - diagnostic imaging; Echinococcosis, Hepatic - drug therapy; Echinococcosis, Hepatic - parasitology; Echinococcus multilocularis - physiology; Family Medicine; France; General Practice; Histopathology; Human health and pathology; Humans; Infectious Diseases; Internal Medicine; Life Sciences; Liver; Liver cirrhosis; Liver Cirrhosis - etiology; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Middle Aged; Paraplegia; Parasitic diseases; Spinal Diseases - diagnosis; Spinal Diseases - diagnostic imaging; Spinal Diseases - drug therapy; Spinal Diseases - parasitology; Therapeutic drug monitoring; Treatment Outcome; Vertebrae; Therapeutic drug monitoring; Alveolar echinococcosis; Vertebral; Cure
• ISSN: 0300-8126; 1439-0973
• DOI: 10.1007/s15010-016-0974-z

The prognosis of vertebral alveolar echinococcosis (AE) is poor. We report on the unique outcome of a patient with preexisting liver cirrhosis, in whom a diagnosis of vertebral AE was established on vertebral histopathology (D4 corporectomy in 2010 for paraplegia). Therapeutic drug monitoring of albendazole (ABZ) showed that a low dosage was appropriate. The patient recovered and ABZ withdrawal was decided in 2014, with no relapse 18 months later. In this patient, infection was purely or mainly localized in the dorsal spine, and this may have been favored by liver cirrhosis. A longer follow-up is, however, needed to confirm cure.