Acute cysticercosis encephalitis: description of a histologically confirmed case

Computed tomography (CT) has permitted the recognition of a previously unknown phase of cerebral cysticercosis, which has been misdiagnosed clinically and radiologically as pseudotumor cerebri or nonspecific intracranial hypertension. It consists of an acute encephalitis with or without neurological localization symptoms. CT shows multiple zones of a ruptured hematoencephalic barrier surrounding a hypodense lesion, which is the parasite. This form of neurocysticercosis is more frequent in younger people. Patients who survive may (a) develop cerebral calcification, (b) have lesions that disappear spontaneously, or (c) develop parenchymatous cerebral cysticercosis. The latter is the most infrequent.