The many faces of cysticercosis.

Cysticercosis in humans results from infestation with the larval stage of the parasite Cysticercus cellulosae of the tapeworm Taenia solium. Man normally acts as a definitive host. However, man can occasionally be the intermediate host, when cysticercosis becomes clinically manifest. Larvae lodge in the target organs, the brain, eyes, spine and skeletal muscles, where their appearances are highly suggestive or specific. We present a spectrum of such images, as encountered in Western India.

Basal ganglia calcification.

Basal ganglia calcification (BGC) is now being diagnosed with increasing frequency with widespread application of computed tomography (CT) in clinical practice and is no more considered a rarity. During the period 1987 to 1995, 42 patients were noted to have BGC and it constituted 0.93% of all CT scan of brain carried out during the relevant period. These patients presented with diverse neurological and endocrine disorders i.e., epilepsy (22 patients), mental retardation (five patients), extra-pyramidal syndromes (five patients), abnormal behaviour (three patients), stroke (two patients), raised intracranial tension without localizing signs (one patient), following radiotherapy (one patient), and with hypoparathyroidism (three patients). These patients were noted to have variable degree of calcification in different parts of brain i.e., basal ganglia (42 cases), cerebellum (12 cases) and cerebral cortex (nine cases). Family history of a neurological disorder was available in five patients. This study highlights the fact that calcification of basal ganglia and other parts of the brain is often a nonspecific finding on CT scan and it may not be possible to establish a clinicopathological correlation.