Diagnosis, treatment, follow-up and diagnostics
Diagnostics procedures for echinococcosis are based on:
- Patients’ medical history, identification of risk factors, preliminary blood tests
- Imaging procedures
- Specific serology
- Indirect detection methods
At the clinic we use diagnostic techniques based on the current state of the art. We examine patients using ultrasound, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, as well as positron emission tomography and PET-CT scans. In cooperation with the Austrian National Reference Laboratory for Parasites, we carry out pathogen-specific serological testing in accordance with the highest quality standards.
Treatment
Echinococcosis is treated using highly personalised therapies based on a calculated comparison of the risks and benefits of the potential options in relation to:
- The pathogen
- Clinical stage of the disease
- Number, size and localisation of lesions in the affected organs
- Individual patient’s risk factors
- Personal preference
In general, the following treatments are available; they can be effective either on their own or in combination:
- (Long-term) drug treatment with antiparasitic medications
- Percutaneous puncture and treatment of cysts (percutaneous aspiration-injection-reaspiration or PAIR procedure)
- Surgical treatment
- Observation and monitoring
Our interdisciplinary teams recommend treatment approaches based on systematic diagnostics. The structured and centralised nature of patient care at the clinic ensures that all attending physicians have wide-ranging experience with what is – on the whole – a rare disease, and that patients receive the best possible treatment as a result.