Hypernatremia After Hypertonic Saline Irrigation of an Hepatic Hydatid Cyst

Excerpt

To the editor: Hypernatremia most often occurs in the setting of dehydration and hypotonic fluid loss (1). Hypernatremia due to salt gain is generally iatrogenic, from intravenous administration of hypertonic saline or sodium bicarbonate solution or oral administration of infant rehydration formulas (1). We report the case of a patient who developed symptomatic hypernatremia after hypertonic saline irrigation of a hepatic hydatid cyst.

A 46-year-old Spanish woman was admitted to Malcolm Grow U.S. Air Force Medical Center with gradually increasing epigastric pain. Hepatomegaly and a defect on a liver-spleen scan were noted. Echinococcal indirect hemagglutination inhibition titer was greater than