Disease Information for Cord neurocysticercosis

History of exposure to Taenia solium in an endemic region; concomitant or past intestinal tapeworm infection; Seizures, headache, and other findings of a focal space-occupying central nervous system lesion; Subcutaneous or muscular nodules (5–10 mm); calcified lesions on x-rays of soft tissues; Calcified or uncalcified cysts by CT scan or MRI; positive serologic tests; Human cysticercosis is infection by the larval (cysticercus) stage of the tapeworm T solium (see above); Worldwide, an estimated 20 million persons are infected and 50,000 deaths occur yearly; Antibody prevalence rates to 10% are recognized in some endemic areas; The infection is one the most important causes of seizures in the developing world; the granulomatous or enhancing cyst); concurrent events include cyst enlargement, mechanical compression, increased intracranial pressure, cerebrospinal fluid changes, and sometimes a vasculitis that results in small cerebral infarcts; The immune response is intense in many patients, but some show a remarkable tolerance; Later, as the cyst degenerates over 2–7 years, it may become undetectable with imaging or be replaced by fibrosis with calcification that is detectable; Locations of cysts in order of frequency are the central nervous system (where cysts at different life cycle stages—live, transitional, dead—may be present at the same time), subcutaneous tissues and striated muscle, vitreous humor of the eye, and, rarely, other tissues; Neurocysticercosis ;In many patients, cysts remain asymptomatic; When symptomatic, the incubation period is highly variable (usually from 1 to 5 years); Manifestations are due to mass effect, inflammatory response, or obstruction of the brain foramina and ventricular systems; Neurologic findings are varied and nonspecific, in large part determined by the number and location of the cysts;

Parenchymal cysts: Cysticerci can present singly or multiply and may be scattered or in clumps; Findings include epilepsy (focal or generalized), focal neurologic deficits, intracranial hypertension (intense headache, vomiting, papilledema, visual loss), altered mental status, and parkinsonism; Seizures usually do not occur until the cyst or cysts have begun to die; Episodic symptoms have been associated with edema around calcified lesions; Subarachnoid space cysts and meningeal cysts: Small to large cysts are generally located in the cortical sulci or basal cisterns; The arachnoid is the principal basal membrane affected; Adhesive arachnoiditis may result in obstructive hydrocephalus, intracranial hypertension, arterial thrombosis leading to transient ischemia or stroke, and cranial nerve dysfunction (most often of the optic nerve); Ventricular cysts: Ventricular cysts may float freely (usually singly) within the ventricles or cerebral aqueduct or may be attached to the ventricular wall; They are usually asymptomatic but can cause increased intracranial pressure as a result of intermittent or total blockage;

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