[Intramedullary cysticercosis: case report]

Cysticercosis is the most ordinary parasitary disease involving the nervous system. The involvement of the spine is rare, ranging from 0.7% to 5.8%, and the intramedullary incidence is rather uncommon. We report the case of a 52-year-old female patient with intramedullary cysticercosis at the C4-C5 level, treated at the Neurology and Neurosurgery Service of Santa Casa de Belo Horizonte. The patient was operated with the complete exeresis of the lesion and had a good outcome. Forty-five cases of intramedullary cysticercosis were found in the literature review. We conclude that although it is a rare pathology, intramedullary cysticercosis should be included in the differential diagnosis of intramedullary lesions, mainly in cases of patients with previous diagnosis for neurocysticercosis and also of those who live in endemic areas.