Difficulty in diagnosing a case with apparent sequel cerebral sparganosis

Abstract

Background: We report on a case of cerebral sparganosis that was correctly identified by a biopsy 10 years after the initial infection.

Case description: A 62-year-old man presented with an unusual case of cerebral sparganosis mansoni. He was admitted to our hospital for removal of a right frontal meningioma. Computed tomographic scan and MRI of the brain showed atrophy of the left cerebral hemisphere, enlargement of the lateral ventricle, and several small ring-enhanced lesions in the left frontal lobe. The patient had suffered from motor aphasia and right hemiparesis for 10 years; in addition, he had been treated for cerebral infarction. We performed a left frontal biopsy, during which we also removed the meningioma. The histologic diagnosis was cerebral sparganosis mansoni.

Conclusions: The follow-up CT findings after the patient's first attack were thought to be characteristic of cerebral sparganosis mansoni. However, the radiographic findings were difficult to differentiate from those of neoplasias.