Manifestaciones usuales e inusuales de la neurocisticercosis

Usual and unusual manifestations of neurocysticercosis Purpose: Demonstrate the different forms of presentation and differential diagnosis of neurocysticercosis Materials and Methods: The studies were performed on 12 patients from 1 to 65 years old (mean age of 43 years) with encephalic and spinal MRI (1.5T Magnetom Symphony, Siemens, Erlangen, Alemania), before and after gadolinium injection (Gadoversetamida, Mallinckrodt Inc). Results: Out of 12 patients, the results were: 7 presented exclusive brain parenchymal compromise at different stages of evolution; 4 combination of brain and subarachnoid compromise; 1 combination of spinal, intraventricular and subarachnoid compromise. Conclusion: Neurocysticercosis is the most common parasitic infection of the central nervous system in developing countries. Even though the intraparenchymatous presentation appears in more than 50% of the cases and the typical manifestations are widely described in literature, the MRI constitutes a valuable tool in the analysis of the unusual manifestations and the neuroradiologist should be able to identify them in order to facilitate diagnosis and appropiate treatment, avoiding eventual complications.