[Cerebral sparganosis mansoni--report of two cases]

Cerebral Sparganosis Mansoni is a very rare disease caused by a larva of Diphyllobothrium and so far, only two cases have been reported. Another two cases are presented in this paper. Case 1: A 64-year-old man was admitted presenting with hypovolition. He has eaten thunder fishes several years before. CT scan revealed an extensive low density area with an enhanced nodular mass around the right basal ganglia. An operation was carried out on the preoperative diagnosis of brain tumor and a granuloma was completely removed. His postoperative course was excellent. The histological examination confirmed the diagnosis of cerebral sparganosis. Case 2: The patients was 60-year-old male showing hypesthesia in the left half of his face. He has often been to South Korea where patients of Sparganosis Mansoni are often reported. Enhanced CT scan demonstrated a small nodular region in the tip of the left temporal lobe. Sparganum Mansoni was identified during surgery and a granuloma was also extirpated. His postoperative course was also excellent. In cases with cerebral parasitism by Sparganum Mansoni, CT scan shows an extensive low density area with a nodular enhancement, but no calcification nor cyst formation. It is quite difficult to differentiate sparganosis from cerebral tumors on CT and laboratory data preoperatively. The diagnosis is usually confirmed by postoperative histological examination. As for the treatment of this disease, no effective chemotherapy is now available and surgical excision is recommended. Actually, four cases with cerebral sparganosis including two of our own demonstrated a satisfactory prognosis by surgical treatments.