Echinococcosis and alveococcosis of the brain in the practice of a neurosurgeon (a review literature and clinical cases)

Abstract

The article presents an overview of modern scientific publications on echinococcosis and alveococcosis of the brain, which occur in 1–4 % of cases among all volumetric formations of the central nervous system. Despite the fact that these parasitic diseases are more common in endemic areas of developing countries in Asia, South America, Australia and New Zealand, isolated clinical cases are observed everywhere, including due to population migration, and they must bedifferentiated, first of all, from intracerebral cysts, abscesses, cystic tumors. Clinical manifestations of echinococcosis and alveococcosis of the brain include the development of hypertensive symptoms, focal neurological deficit, convulsive syndrome (with cortical localization of cysts). The article presents the modern possibilities of diagnostic methods (among which the main role is played by neuroimaging methods, such as multislice computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging using contrast/paramagnet), and surgical and medical treatment of patients with echinococcosis and alveococcosis of the brain. The article also describes two own clinical observations of patients who were hospitalized in the neurosurgical department of the Regional Clinical Hospital (Krasnoyarsk).