Solitary Head and Neck Cysticercosis: A Series of Rare Cases

Cysticercosis is a disease which is caused by the infestation of the larvae Taenia solium, with humans acting as an intermediate host instead of a definitive host. Head and neck involvement including maxillofacial and oral involvement of cysticercosis is quite rare.

We report a series of rare cases of cysticercosis of the head and neck region encountered in a tertiary hospital in Northern India with a brief review of literature and its diagnosis and management. The patients had undergone ultrasonography, FNAC and CT scan. All the cases were treated by Oral Albendazole tablets. The period of study was from August 2014 to August 2015. FNAC proved to be a highly effective way of diagnosis corroborated by imaging evidence. Treatment with albendazole was curative in all the cases.

Cytopathology has emerged as an excellent diagnostic modality for cysticercosis. Medical treatment with antihelminthics produces excellent results, as illustrated in our case, and can eliminate the need of surgery.