title: Short report: cysticercosis of the breast, a rare imaging finding.
abstract: Parasitic infection of the breast is rare, especially in cases of cysticercosis. This disease is acquired by ingestion of tapeworm eggs in contaminated food and water supplies or from hands improperly washed after a bowel movement. Diagnosis is usually made incidentally. We report a patient with cysticercosis of the breast. The patient was a 63-year-old woman who had no clinical manifestations, but cysticercus was observed to cause calcifications detected by mammography. Computed tomography demonstrated brain lesions. A definitive diagnosis of cysticercosis was made by demonstration of characteristic calcified larvae. The definitive diagnosis was confirmed by excisional surgery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Irmandade da Santa Casa de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil. adrilucarelli@terra.com.br
authors.forename: Adrienne Pratti
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Lucarelli
authors.forename: Maria Marta
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Martins
authors.forename: Vilmar Marques
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: de Oliveira
authors.forename: José Francisco
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Rinaldi
authors.forename: Décio
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Roveda
authors.forename: Maria Antonieta Longo
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Galvão
authors.forename: Tsutomo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Aoki
authors.forename: Sebastião
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Piato
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology; D001941:Breast Diseases / Q000469:parasitology*; D003551:Cysticercosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged