Subcutaneous Cysticercosis of the Tongue Mimicking a Tumor

Abstract

A 12‐year‐old Brazilian girl was seen in our department with a single asymptomatic nodule on the dorsum of the tongue (Fig. 1). The nodule had been present for approxi‐mately 4 years. It measured 1–2 cm in diameter, was firm, flesh‐colored, nontender, nonpulsatile, and slightly mobile. The patient acknowledged that she had been treated for tapeworms 3 years previously, but she could not specify the treatment. Physical examination was otherwise unre‐markable. A clinical diagnosis of lipoma, cyst, or granular cell tumor was suspected. Biopsy of the nodule was per‐formed. Histopathologic examination revealed a cysticercus of Taenia solium in a “bladder cyst” (Fig. 2) surrounded by a discrete inflammatory reaction. Laboratory tests included stool examination that was negative for ova and parasites and a normal complete blood cell count. Chest roentgeno‐gram, EEG, ECG, and brain, liver, spleen, and bone scans were normal. The patient was seen 2 years later and had no evidence of cysticercosis.

Oral cysticercosis—report of six cases

“…[4][5][6] A MEDLINE search revealed only 38 cases of oral cysticercosis published in the English literature. [3][4][5][6][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21] The age at discovery varies from 5 to 70 years, and there is no gender predilection. 6 The duration of swelling usually ranges from 1 month to 4 years.…”

Cysticercosis of the oral cavity: report of five cases and a review of literature

“…Diagnosis of cysticercosis should be kept in mind when examining solitary lesions of the oral cavity. About 45 cases of cysticercosis of oral cavity and other adjacent areas have been recorded in the literature [1,7–24] but no large series of paediatric cases involving the tongue or buccal mucosa appear to have been reported. Already one previous case report of cysticercosis of tongue and buccal mucosa appeared as early as 1965 [27].…”

“…Tongue and masseter muscle are the most common sites for cysticercosis to develop in cattle and swine [7], whereas in man these sites are rarely involved. Previous involvement of these sites has rarely been reported [1,7–24] and there are no estimates of prevalence of cysticercosis in the peri‐oral region. Diagnosis of cysticercosis was not made preoperatively in any of the published case reports, rather it was made post‐operatively through histopatho‐logical examination of excised specimens or was suspected following surgery with the identification of the cyst.…”

Subcutaneous Cysticercosis Involving the Eyelid: Sonographic Diagnosis

“…First, they may be mistaken for some other disease presenting with painless swellings like lipoma, neurofibroma, lymphadenopathy, or epidermoid cyst (7,8). In the tongue, they may generate suspicion of metasatic tumor (9,10). Second, awareness of such lesions may lead to early diagnosis and treatment of cysticerci in vital organs before irreversible damage occurs (8).…”