1. A thirty-two-year-old man has been under treatment for twelve years for primary hydatid disease of the body of the third lumbar vertebra.

2. The second lumbar vertebra became involved, as were the soft tissues over a wide area, but the spinal canal was not affected.

3. A hydatid cyst was found in the left lung.

4. Management included stabilisation of the spine by bone graft, desensitisation to hydatid antigen, removal of the diseased vertebral bodies, pedicles and processes, the use of saturated solution of sodium chloride as a scolicide and the dilation of secondary ureteral strictures.

5. The patient, although not cured, has been enabled to "live with his disease" to earn his living and enjoy tennis and swimming.