Intracavitary cardiac hydatid cyst and the wall sign criteria

Cardiac hydatid is rare at any age, accounting for less than 2% of all hydatid disease. The case is discussed of a 48-year-old female with a cardiac hydatid cyst attached intracavitary in the posterior wall of the right atrium. The Echinococcus cyst grows very slowly and, unless located in a critical anatomic site, it takes many years to evolve. Since the introduction of two-dimensional echocardiography, more cases are being diagnosed. The cyst was discovered incidentally by X-ray computed tomography and confirmed by trans-oesophageal echocardiography utilizing the wall-sign criteria developed by the authors. The cyst was removed surgically and the patient recovered by medical therapy.