© 2003 Fellowship of Postgraduate Medicine
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A man with numbness and limb weakness
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The diagnosis is spinal (cervical) intramedullary cysticercosis. The MRI scan (fig 1; see p355) shows a cyst located in the intramedullary region. Cervical laminectomy with removal of the cyst was done. Histopathology examination (fig 2; see p355) proved the lesion to be a cysticercus cyst with scolex (larval cyst).
The treatment of spinal intramedullary cysticercosis could be surgical, medical (that is, cysticidal therapy) or both, based on location and stage of the cyst as also on the experience of the physician. Surgical treatment includes laminectomy with removal of the cyst. Cysticidal drugs given are albendazole in a dose of 15 mg/kg body weight for 14–30 days or praziquantel 50 mg/kg body weight for 15 days along with steroids to reduce the perilesional oedema and to prevent neurological deterioration during the course of cysticidal drugs. Administration of cysticidal drugs before or after surgery is a point of
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- A man with numbness and limb weakness
- N K Sharma, T S Jaswal, S Singh, N Marwah, H Singh, and M Singh
Postgrad. Med. J. 2003 79: 355-356.[Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]
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