Hydatid cyst – a rare etiology of sudden death. Case report and literature review

S. Morar, H. Dura, A. Cristian, D. P. Dumbravă, A. Boicean, M. C. Miţariu, R. Mihăilă

Abstract: Hydatid cyst is an extremely rare cause of sudden death, with only a handful cases being reported in the English speaking scientific literature. The purpose of this article is to present a case of an unexpected death of a young woman in full health, whose death was sudden and was proved to be caused by the rupture of a hydatid cyst.
The case, a 22 years old woman, was found in cardiac arrest by the Ambulance, and, based on the family statements, was suspected a mushroom poisoning. She was admitted in the ICU, where she died about three hours after. The autopsy showed no characteristic aspects of mushroom poisoning, but revealed the presence of multiple hydatid cysts of various sizes. The largest (7 cm in diameter) was devoid of content and presented a 0.5 cm long tear, amid a capsular parietal lesion (wall thinning). Adjacent to the tear, liver tissue presented inhomogeneous necrotic areas, situated on generalized dystrophic background. Toxicological examination invalidated toxic etiology and histopathology confirmed the diagnosis of hydatid cyst.
Keywords: sudden death, forensic autopsy, hydatid cyst, mushroom poisoning.