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DOI: 10.1055/s-0035-1571268
Spinal Neurocysticercosis: A Rare Variant of a Common Parasitic Infection
Neurocisticercose espinhal: uma variante rara de uma infecção parasitária comumPublication History
15 September 2015
25 November 2015
Publication Date:
15 February 2016 (online)
Abstract
Neurocysticercosis is the most common parasitic infection affecting the central nervous system, usually involving the brain parenchyma, intracranial subarachnoid space, or ventricular system. In rare cases, there is involvement of the spine (vertebral, epidural, subdural, arachnoid, or intramedullary). Even in endemic regions, this variant is rare, with an incidence below 5% of all patients. The diagnosis is made based on the symptoms, which can be very unspecific, imaging and CSF analysis, with biopsy as a possibility. Treatment is usually curative, but important deficits can develop, due to compression of the spinal cord or nerve roots, arachnoiditis, or meningitis. We present the case of a patient who developed this entity, with poor clinical scenario, and review the literature on the topic.
Resumo
Neurocisticercose é a infecção parasitária mais comum afetando o sistema nervoso central, geralmente envolvendo o parênquima cerebral, espaço subaracnóide intracraniano ou sistema ventricular. Em raros casos, há envolvimento da coluna vertebral, espaços epidural e subdural, aracnoide, ou intramedular. Mesmo em áreas endêmicas, esta variante é rara, com incidência abaixo de 5% entre todos os pacientes. O diagnóstico é feito com base nos sintomas, que podem ser bastante inespecíficos, neuroimagem e análise do líquor, sendo a biópsia uma possibilidade. O tratamento geralmente é curativo, porém importantes déficits podem se desenvolver, devido à compressão da medula espinhal ou raízes nervosas, aracnoidite ou meningite. Relatamos o caso de um paciente que desenvolveu esta entidade, com sintomatologia escassa, e revisamos a literatura sobre este tópico.
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