South Asian Journal of Parasitology

Intracranial Space Occupying Lesion with Hydatid Cyst: A Rare Infestation of Hydatid Isolate from Intracranial Cystic Lesion

Tasneem Siddiqui

Department of Microbiology, Sanjay Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, India.

Mitra Kar *

Department of Microbiology, Sanjay Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, India.

Akanksha Dubey

Department of Microbiology, Sanjay Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, India.

Chinmoy Sahu

Department of Microbiology, Sanjay Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, India.

Ujjala Ghoshal

Department of Microbiology, Sanjay Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, India.

*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

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Abstract

The present case report aimed to bring into light a rare infestation of hydatid isolate from intracranial cystic lesion which was misdiagnosed as intracranial neurocysticercosis infestation at a tertiary care centre in northern India. A 16 year old female, resident of Uttar Pradesh presented to the Neurosurgery outpatient department (OPD) with a 3 months history of holocranial headache and generalised tonic clonic seizures for the past 1 year. Causes of intracranial cystic lesions other that hydatid cysts can either be abscesses or calcified neurocysticercosis or cystic and necrotic malignancies. In our case, a precoronal keyhole craniotomy and total excision of cyst followed by repeated cleaning with 3% hypertonic saline. Due to the deceiving appearance of cystic echinococcosis in the brain on CT scan, which appears as an image similar to a single cystic neurocysticercosis lesion with ring enhancement, wet mount preparation and microbiological tests are equally critical in the early diagnosis of the disease.

Keywords: Neurocysticercosis, intracranial cystic lesion, precoronal keyhole craniotomy, Echinococcous granulosus

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