Neurocysticercosis: an old disease with new questions

Cysticercosis is a parasitic infection of the central nervous system that occurs in some geographic regions and is transmitted through contaminated food or by the fecal-oral route. Treatment depends on the degree of central nervous system involvement. Ventricular cysts require surgery. Parenchymal involvement requires systemic antiparasitic therapy. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging are used to image patients with neurocysticercosis. Magnetic resonance imaging is more sensitive for cerebral involvement than in computed tomography. Computed tomography is more sensitive to calcifications than is magnetic resonance imaging.