Table 2. Diagnostic approaches for echinococcosis.

Echinococcosis type: This refers to the specific kind of echinococcosis infection a patient has. There are four main types: cystic, alveolar, polycystic, and unicystic.

Preferred imaging: This indicates the initial imaging modality that doctors typically recommend for diagnosing a specific echinococcosis type.

Additional imaging modality: This lists any other imaging techniques that might be helpful, in addition to the preferred modality, for diagnosing the echinococcosis type.

Serologic test antigen: This specifies the particular antigen used in a blood test to identify the type of echinococcosis infection. Not all types require a serologic test.

Definitive diagnosis: This explains how doctors definitively diagnose each echinococcosis type. It usually involves a combination of imaging tests and serologic tests, but in some cases, isolating protoscoleces, the larval stage of the parasite, might be necessary.

CT scan: Computed Tomography Scan; MRI: Magnetic Resonance Imaging; NA: Not Applicable

Table References: [10,11,12,22-26]

The table was created by Nitesh Badwaik.

Echinococcosis Type	Preferred Imaging	Additional Imaging Modality	Serologic Test Antigen	Definitive Diagnosis
Cystic	Ultrasonography	MRI, CT Scan	E. granulosus	Imaging + Serologic Test
Alveolar	Ultrasonography	CT Scan	E. multilocularis	Imaging + Serologic Test
Polycystic	Ultrasonography, CT Scan	NA	NA	Isolating Protoscoleces (E. oligarthrus/E. vogeli)