Neurocysticerosis: An Individualized Approach

Abstract

Neurocysticercosis is an infection of the central nervous system by the larval stage of the pork tapeworm Taenia solium. The combination of modern diagnostic tests, use of antiparasitic drugs, improved anti-inflammatory treatments, and minimally invasive neurosurgery has improved outcomes in patients with neurocysticercosis. This parasitic infection is complex in both the clinical presentation and the treatment approach, which depends on the number of cysts, location in the brain, stage of degeneration, and host inflammatory response. Therapeutic interventions for each location are different; therefore, principles for managing parenchymal disease cannot be applied to extraparenchymal disease and should be individualized.

Keywords: Cysticercosis; Neurocysticercosis; Seizures; Taenia solium; Tapeworm.