Postoperative Morbidity Risk Factors After Conservative Surgery of Hydatic Cyst of the Liver: A Retrospective Study of 151 Hydatic Cysts of the Liver

Abstract Background: Hepatic hydatid cyst is an endemic parasitosis in Tunisia. Although most of these cysts are benign; their treatment may lead to several complications which can cause an important post-operative morbidity and mortality.The purpose of the present paper is to assess the morbidity and mortality specifics risk factors of hepatic hydatid cysts after conservative surgery.Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of 102 patients over a period of 13 years, from 2006 to 2019. We included all patients operated on for hydatid cyst of the liver, complicated and uncomplicated, in the Department of General Surgery of Mahdia, Tunisia.We excluded patients who received an exclusive medical treatment and those who have other hydatic cyst localizations.Descriptive statistics,bivariate analysis using chi-squared test and Fisher’s exact test for categorical variables;t-test,ANOVA , and Kruskal–Wallis for continuous variables; odds ratio calculations, ordinal and multivariate logistic regression models were appliedResults: The cohort was composed of 102 patients with a total of 151 cysts operated on using conservative surgery, among them there was 75 women (73, 5%) and 27 men (26.5%). The median age was 43, with extremes ranging from 12 to 88 years. The majority of patients (94. 1%) were from rural areas. The cysts were uncomplicated in about half of the cases (48%), elsewhere complications such as compression of neighboring organs (25,5%), opening in the bile ducts (16,7%), infection (9,8%), and rupture in the peritoneum (2%) were found. Conservative surgery was the mainstay of treatment with an overall mortality rate of 1. 9%. The overall morbidity rate was 22%: 14% specific morbidity and 8% non-specific morbidity. External biliary fistula was the most common postoperative complication (9%). The predictive factors of morbidity in univariate analysis were Preoperative hydatid cyst infection (P = 0.01), Compressive cysts (P=0.05), preoperative fever and jaundice, (respectively P=0. 03 and P=0. 02), no one achieved statistical significance in the multivariate modelConclusions:Preoperative hydatid cyst infection, compressive cysts and preoperative fever and jaundice are significant predictor factors of morbidity after conservative surgery for liver hydatid cyst. They must be considered in the treatment and the surgical decision for patients with hydatid cyst.