[Bruns' syndrome: description of a case of neurocysticercosis with pathological study]

Bruns' syndrome is characterized by sudden and strong headache, accompanied by vomiting, acuphenos and vertigo, triggered by abrupt movement of the head and can produce deep coma and death. This can be due to neurocysticercosis by cyst in the fourth ventricle, which contains the larval stage of Taenia solium. In the last years, new cases of this parasitosis are being seen in Spain because of the immigration from endemic areas, but the clinical forms of this infestation are not varied. We present a 44 year old man Ecuadorian who has clinical symptoms consistent with Bruns' syndrome secondary to cyst in the fourth ventricle that progressed badly despite undergoing surgery with ventriculoperitoneal shunt and treatment with albendazol. Finally, he was operated with the excision of the lesion by means of suboccipital craniectomy. We conclude that this syndrome must rule out a cystic or non-cystic, intraventricular lesion and that the appropriate manipulation of the cysticerotic ventricular cysts carries a more favourable prognosis.