title: "Full moon" endoscopic sign in intraventricular neurocysticercosis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Despite improvements in sanitation, diagnosis and treatment, neurocysticercosis is still a public health problem in many countries. In symptomatic patients, there is a broad spectrum of clinical manifestations. When cysticerci are lodged in the ventricles or the subarachnoid space, the flow of cerebrospinal fluid can be obstructed and lead to hydrocephalus and intracranial hypertension. The endoscopic view may be useful as a diagnostic tool.
  
  
  METHODS
  This report clearly shows a common endoscopic pattern in 4 selected patients with ventricular cysticercosis (2 third ventricle/2 lateral ventricle). The endoscopic view of the cysts in the ventricles resembles a "full moon". This analogy helped to identify the features of cysticerci with intact walls and the vesicular stage, malleable due to its cystic content and having an irregular surface, as evidence of the microscopic structure of the cyst wall in a cysticercus.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This finding is not seen in other intraventricular cysts or tumors that can actually be considered as an additional diagnostic criterion among the definitive findings to establish the diagnosis of cysticercosis, since it involves direct endoscopic visualization of a cysticercus under histopathological demonstration. Additionally, the endoscopic approach can be used as primary treatment for these cases, following the minimally invasive approach principle.
authors.affiliation: Neurosurgical Experimental Research Laboratory, Department of Neurosciences, Centro Universitario de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de Guadalajara, Guadalajara, Mexico. rodrigor@cencar.udg.mx
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ramos-Zúñiga
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: de La Cruz-Ramírez
authors.forename: P M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Casillas-Espinosa
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Sánchez-Prieto
authors.forename: M D S
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: López-Hernández
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020547:Lateral Ventricles / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020019:Neurocysticercosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D044583:Neuroendoscopy; D020542:Third Ventricle / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D055815:Young Adult