Intramedullary spinal schistosomiasis in a child with acute myelopathy: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Neuroschistosomiasis is defined as an infection of the nervous system caused by Schistosoma mansoni. Neuroschistosomiasis is an important differential diagnostic consideration in pediatric patients presenting with myelopathy. Surgical excision combined with antiparasitic drugs typically provides a satisfactory outcome and often results in neurological recovery. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 4-year-old child presented with acute and progressive myelopathy. A thoracolumbar magnetic resonance image revealed a T12-L2 conus medullaris mass that was isointense on T1 and hyperintense on T2 (with an extensive syringomyelia at the thoracic spinal cord) and showed enhanced heterogeneity with gadolinium. The lesion was excised through T12-L2 laminotomy. Intraoperatively, the tumor appeared reddish and infiltrative. The frozen section suggested a granulomatous process, while the final pathology confirmed conus medullaris schistosomiasis. CONCLUSION: Schistosomal myeloradiculopathy should be considered among the different diagnosis in children presenting with lower thoracic region, conus medullaris, and/or cauda equina infiltrative spinal masses.

Neuralgia do trigêmeo bilateral por cisticerco racemoso unilateral no Angulo-ponto cerebelar: relato de caso / Bilateral trigeminal neuralgia caused by unilateral racemose cysticercus of cerebellopontine angle. Case report

Descrevemos o caso de uma paciente de 42 anos portadora de cisticerco racemoso na regiäo do ângulo ponto-cerebelar (APC) direito com trigeminalgia bilateral mais intensa no lado ipsilateral à localizaçäo do parasita. O cisticerco foi totalmente removido por meio de craniotomia suboccipital. No primeiro dia pós-operatório houve desaparecimento bilateral da dor. Duas hipóteses fisiopatológicas foram aventadas para explicar a sintomatologia: lesöes que ultrapassam os limites da cisterna do APC poderäo através da cisterna pré-pontina alcançar a cisterna do APC atingindo o trigêmeo contralateral; lesöes com grande efeito de massa poderäo provocar rotaçäo do tronco cerebral e deslocamento e traçäo de estruturas ipsi e contralaterais, provocando compressäo arteriovenosa sobre o trigêmeo contralateral na porççÒo superior da cisterna do APC. Salientamos a necessidade de exames de imagem ante qualquer algia craniofacial e observamos que, em lesöes na regiäo do APC, a cisticercose näo pode ser esquecida