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Neurocysticercosis on 18F-FDG PET/MRI: co-registered Images

Prashant Jolepalem1, Ching-Yee Oliver Wong

  • 1From the Department of Radiology and Molecular Imaging, Oakland University William Beaumont Health Systems, Royal Oak, MI.

Clinical Nuclear Medicine
|April 13, 2013
PubMed

Insights

A 32-year-old female with seizures was diagnosed with neurocysticercosis, a rare parasitic brain infection. Fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) imaging helped differentiate it from brain cancer.

Area of Science:

  • Neurology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Radiology

Background:

  • Partial complex seizures can be caused by various brain pathologies, including tumors and infections.
  • Neurocysticercosis, a parasitic infection of the central nervous system by the tapeworm Taenia solium, is uncommon in developed countries.
  • Differentiating neurocysticercosis from primary brain malignancy can be challenging based on conventional imaging alone.

Observation:

  • A 32-year-old female presented with new-onset partial complex seizures.
  • Brain MRI revealed a suspicious ring-enhancing lesion in the right temporal lobe, initially concerning for malignancy or infection.
  • The patient's seizures were attributed to neurocysticercosis in the mesial temporal lobe.

Findings:

  • (18)F-FDG PET imaging was crucial in excluding malignancy.
  • (18)F-FDG PET provided evidence supporting a diagnosis of neurocysticercosis.
  • The findings highlight the utility of FDG-PET in diagnosing rare neurological infections.

Implications:

  • This case underscores the importance of considering neurocysticercosis in the differential diagnosis of temporal lobe lesions presenting with seizures, even in regions where it is rare.
  • FDG-PET imaging can be a valuable tool in distinguishing between neoplastic and infectious etiologies of brain lesions.
  • Improved diagnostic strategies are needed for neurocysticercosis, a treatable yet often overlooked cause of neurological symptoms.

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