Spinal Neurocysticercosis: A Rare Variant of a Common Parasitic Infection

Abstract

Neurocysticercosis is the most common parasitic infection affecting the central nervous system, usually involving the brain parenchyma, intracranial subarachnoid space, or ventricular system. In rare cases, there is involvement of the spine (vertebral, epidural, subdural, arachnoid, or intramedullary). Even in endemic regions, this variant is rare, with an incidence below 5% of all patients. The diagnosis is made based on the symptoms, which can be very unspecific, imaging and CSF analysis, with biopsy as a possibility. Treatment is usually curative, but important deficits can develop, due to compression of the spinal cord or nerve roots, arachnoiditis, or meningitis. We present the case of a patient who developed this entity, with poor clinical scenario, and review the literature on the topic.