Cerebral sparganosis in a child.
Cerebral sparganosis in childhood is very rare. Until 1996, 2 cases in children up to 15 years of age had been described. We report a case of cerebral sparganosis in a 6-year-old girl who presented with seizures. Sequential brain magnetic resonance imaging scans spaced over 4 months showed a lesion which migrated from the right parieto-occipital region to the right occipital region. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for antisparganum antibody was positive. She most likely contracted sparganosis from worm-infested spring-water. A live worm with surrounding granulomatous tissue was removed, and the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for antisparganum antibody converted to negative 12 months following surgery. In areas of endemic sparganosis, the possibility of cerebral sparganosis should be considered, even in a child, if the patient shows a migrating granulomatous lesion.
Kim
C Y
CY
Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Seoul National University Children's Hospital, South Korea.
Cho
B K
BK
Kim
I O
IO
Hwang
Y S
YS
Wang
K C
KC
D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000469:parasitology*; D002648:Child; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D012640:Seizures / Q000469:parasitology; D013031:Sparganosis / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000635:transmission