Parkinsonism Secondary to Hydrocephalus Caused by Neurocysticercosis

The diagnosis of parkinsonism is established by the presence of tremor, stiffness and bradykinesia alongside with neurological examination, requiring the exclusion of secondary causes such as stroke, hydrocephalus and infectious diseases. Included in this last category, neurocysticercosis is a disease caused by Taenia solium, with a variable clinical presentation that can include epileptic seizures, hydrocephalus and rarely parkinsonism. In the reported case, the syndrome is a consequence of lesions in the nigrostriatal dopaminergic pathway caused by the implant and mass effect of the cysticercus. The authors report a case of parkinsonism in a 59-year-old woman with a previous history of neurocysticercosis who presented with hydrocephalus on magnetic resonance imaging exam. The patient was treated with pharmacological therapy and ventriculoperitoneal shunt, progressing with amelioration of the symptoms presented.