title: Alveolar echinococcosis of the brain in five patients.
abstract: Cerebral alveolar echinococcis is a biologically aggressive infestation that mimics a malignant neoplasm radiologically and macroscopically. This paper describes the clinical and radiological aspects of the disease, with new diagnostic studies, and discusses the surgical treatment of this infestation. The records of five patients with cerebral alveolar echinococcis treated at our center between 2000 and 2004 were reviewed. Three patients underwent radical surgical treatment and received antihelminthic therapy post-operatively, two of whom experienced asymptomatic recurrence. Two patients with multiple lesions were treated with antihelminthic therapy alone. The prognosis was poor for these patients. Radical surgery combined with antihelminthic therapy of sufficient duration are mandatory to prevent the progression of symptoms but the disease continues to be difficult to cure.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Medical School, Ataturk University, 25070, Yenisehir, Erzurum, Turkey.
authors.forename: Erhan
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Takci
authors.forename: Goksin
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sengul
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Akar
authors.forename: Hakan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Uslu
authors.forename: Fatih
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Alper
authors.forename: Fazli
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Erdogan
authors.forename: Ismail H
authors.initials: IH
authors.lastname: Aydin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000871:Anthelmintics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000628:therapy; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004443:Echinococcosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000871:Anthelmintics