Spinal cysticercosis. Case report and review

Cysticercosis is the commonest parasitic disease to affect the central nervous system (CNS). According to the World Health Organisation (1988), more than 2.5 million people worldwide are infected. Neurocysticercosis (NCC) is caused by the encysted larval form (porcine tapeworm) of Taenia solium (Cysticerus cellulosae). The ways in which the eggs of T Solium penetrate the CNS are illustrated in Table I. Involvement of the spinal cord in NCC varies between 1% and 5%. The isolated medullary form is very rare, only 50 cases having been reported up to 1988. The appearance of a spinal cord compression syndrome (SCCS) is unusual and late, according to reported series, the largest being that of Sotelo with 753 cases of NCC, including 10 causing SCCS, corresponding to 1.4%; also the classic Dixon and Lipscomb series of 450 NCC with only one patient with SCCS.