Acute cerebral paragonimiasis presenting as hemorrhagic stroke in a child

Abstract

A hemorrhagic stroke in children is rarely secondary to cerebral paragonimiasis. We describe a 9-year-old boy in whom an intracerebral hemorrhage was the leading clinical indication of acute cerebral paragonimiasis. He was hospitalized because of a sudden onset of headache, right hemiparesis, and dysarthria. A computed tomography scan revealed an intracerebral hemorrhage in the left parietal lobe. Magnetic resonance angiography did not confirm any vascular abnormalities at the location of the hematoma. Four weeks later, he presented with right hemiparesis again, and fever. A diagnosis of cerebral paragonimiasis was based on repeated magnetic resonance imaging of the brain and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for paragonimiasis. The patient gradually recovered with praziquantel treatment. Cerebral paragonimiasis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of hemorrhagic strokes in children in areas where paragonimiasis is epidemic.