title: [Chronic brain edema in neurocysticercosis].
abstract: In a retrospective study, we report the clinical characteristics of chronic brain oedema (CBO) in 34 patients with neurocysticercosis (NCC) who presented diffuse brain oedema upon computed tomography (CT) as a common point. All patients received dextrochlorpheniramine, and, 94.1% of them also albendazole. A predominance of females (73.5%) aged 11-40 years (92.3%) was seen. Headache occurred in 94.1% of patients, nausea/vomiting in 47.1%, epileptic manifestations in 41.1% and psychiatric disorders in 38.2%. Hyperreflexia was obtained in 82.3% of patients, papilloedema in 58.8% and normal neurological examination in 11.8%. The CT scan of the brain showed an association of oedema with calcifications in 61.8% of cases. The cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pressure was higher before than after treatment (p < 0.05). At the last visit, 79.4% of patients were currently asymptomatic (57.1% of them without medication). It is pointed out that CBO may be an antigenic manifestation in NCC without the concomitant presence of parasitic cysts and may represent an additional clinical condition associated with benign intracranial hypertension.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Neurologia e Psiquiatria, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Botucatu, SP, Brasil. agapejev@brain.fmb.unesp.br
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Agapejev
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Yela
authors.forename: A E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Gomes
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015766:Albendazole / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000871:Anthelmintics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001929:Brain Edema / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology*; D002744:Chlorpheniramine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D006634:Histamine H1 Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020019:Neurocysticercosis / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
chemical_list: D000871:Anthelmintics; D006634:Histamine H1 Antagonists; C018904:dexchlorpheniramine; D002744:Chlorpheniramine; D015766:Albendazole
vernacular_title: Edema cerebral crônico na neurocisticercose.