Reduction in rate of epilepsy from neurocysticercosis by community interventions: the Salamá, Honduras study

Purpose: Epilepsy is highly prevalent in developing countries like Honduras, with few studies evaluating this finding. This population‐based study evaluated the impact of an 8‐year public health and educational intervention program in reducing symptomatic epilepsies in rural Salamá, Honduras. Methods: We used the capture and recapture method including review of charts, previous databases, key informants from the community, and a second house‐to‐house survey for epilepsy. Epilepsy incidence and prevalence day after the interventions was May 5, 2005. Residents with active epilepsy with onset after May 1997 were offered neurologic evaluation, electroencephalography, and brain tomography. New data over 8 years were compared to preintervention data from the initial baseline 1997 study utilizing prevalence ratios and confidence intervals. Other calculations utilized chi square or Fisher’s exact tests. Key Findings: Thirty‐three of 36 patients with onset of active epilepsy after 1997 accepted evaluations to determine etiology. Symptomatic etiology was found in 58.3%. Neurocysticercosis (NCC) was again the most frequent cause (13.9%), followed by perinatal insults (11.1%). Epilepsy secondary to NCC was significantly reduced from 36.9% in 1997 (p = 0.02). The incidence (35.7/100,000) and prevalence (11.8/1,000) of active epilepsy were not significantly reduced when compared to the incidence (92.7/100,000) and prevalence (15.4/1,000) of active epilepsy in 1997. Significance:   Our cohort appears to indicate that health and educational community interventions can reduce preventable epilepsy from NCC in a hyperendemic population in a low‐resource, developing country. Plans are underway for the Honduran Government to institute this rural model countrywide.     

脑囊虫病合并脑积水的影像学诊断与外科手术治疗

目的：探讨脑积水型脑囊虫病的诊断与外科手术治疗效果。方法：对诊断明确的73例脑积水型脑囊虫病患者实施了脑室或脑池囊虫摘除术,术后进行抗脑囊虫病治疗。结果：其中13例脑积水症状改善效果不佳,二次行脑室-腹腔分流术,60例手术均获成功。术后均未出现新的神经损害症状,脑室恢复正常。结论：影像检查是对脑积水型脑囊虫病做出正确诊断的重要依据,积极手术切除脑囊虫,解除梗阻性脑积水术后再进行抗囊虫治疗,必要时再行脑室腹腔分流手术,临床效果明确安全。     

Surgery for medically intractable epilepsy due to postinfectious etiologies

Medically intractable epilepsy (MIE) resulting from postinfectious etiologies requiring surgery have been uncommonly reported. A series of 28 cases are presented (hospital prevalence 5.7%). The mean duration of epilepsy prior to surgery was 8.2 ± 2.1 years. The mean time of onset of epilepsy after central nervous system infection was 1.4 ± 0.9 years (range 0–19 years). The pathologies included postpyogenic meningitic/encephalitic sequel (8), neurocysticercosis (6), tuberculomas/posttuberculous etiology (4), postpyogenic abscess of otogenic etiology (4), posttraumatic abscess–related gliosis (2), and gliosis of unknown infectious etiology (4) cases. Surgery included mesial temporal (11), lateral temporal (4), frontal (9), parietal (2) resections and hemispherotomy (1). Hippocampal sclerosis was seen in nine cases (4 neurocysticercosis) and this occurred in younger persons as compared to neocortical epilepsies. Good outcome (Engel class I and II) was seen in 23 of 28 cases (Engel class I in 17).     

Neurocysticercosis presenting as psychiatric illness

Neurocysticercosis is a Common neuroparasitosis. Presentation with psychiatric symptoms is uncommon in neurocysticercosis. The present paper describes a patient who presented with mutism, neglect of personal care and incontinence in a psychiatric setting and investigations revealed diagnosis of neurocysticercosis. The case report highlights the possible misdiagnoses of a case of neurocysticercosis as psychiatric illness and mutism as an uncommon presentation of neurocysticercosis.     

Neurocysticercosis in children

Neurocysticercosis (NCC) is a common cause of seizures and neurologic disease. Although there may be variable presentations depending on the stage and location of cysts in the nervous system, most children (> 80%) present with seizures particularly partial seizures. About a third of cases have headache and vomiting. Diagnosis is made by either CT or MRI. Single enhancing lesions are the commonest visualization of a scolex confirms the diagnosis. Some cases have multiple cysts with a characterstic starry-sky appearance. Management involves use of anticonvulsants for seizures and steroids for cerebral edema. The use of cysticidal therapy continues to be debated. Controlled studies have shown that cysticidal therapy helps in increased and faster resolution of CT lesions. Improvement in long - term seizure control has not yet been proven. Children with single lesions have a good outcome and seizure recurrence rate is low. Children with multiple lesions have recurrent seizures. Extraparenchymal NCC has a guarded prognosis but it is rare in children. In endemic areas NCC must be considered in the differential diagnosis of seizures and various other neurological disorders.     

The effects of antimicrobial and antiepileptic treatment on the outcome of epilepsy associated with central nervous system (CNS) infections

The course and outcome of epilepsy following central nervous system (CNS) infections has been poorly characterized. Likewise, the impact of antimicrobial treatment as well as other preventative and therapeutic interventions on the development of epilepsy following neurological infectious disorders has been insufficiently studied. The CNS infections that can cause epilepsy may be either acute or chronic-recurrent. For most acute infections, for example, viral encephalitis and bacterial meningitis, the effect of specific antimicrobial treatment on the development of epilepsy cannot be studied in a controlled manner due to logistic and ethical reasons. In the specific case of neurocysticercosis (NCC), the risk of seizures in the short term is reduced following either anthelminthic or corticosteroid treatment or both. The effect of anthelminthic treatment on seizure outcome in the long term has not been studied. Finally, treatment with antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) needs to be optimally defined in the case of epilepsy associated with neurological infectious disorders.     

脑囊虫病25例分析

回顾分析25例脑囊虫病的临床资料,8例脑脊液中观察到嗜酸性粒细胞。脑脊液中嗜酸性粒细胞出现与临床类型相关。     

脑囊虫病患者脑脊液氨基酸含量的变化

目的观察脑囊虫病患者脑脊液氨基酸含量的变化.方法采用全自动氨基酸分析仪检测30例脑囊虫病患者和13名对照组受检者脑脊液中氨基酸含量.结果脑囊虫病患者脑脊液中苏氨酸、酪氨酸及苯丙氨酸含量与对照组差异有非常显著性(P＜0.01);丝氨酸、谷氨酸、半胱氨酸、亮氨酸含量与对照组差异有显著性(P＜0.05).结论脑囊虫病患者脑脊液氨基酸含量发生改变,这可能与虫体的生长、发育及脑部的病理变化有关.     

Seizure recurrence in patients with solitary cystic granuloma or single parenchymal cerebral calcification: A comparative evaluation

BackgroundSolitary cysticercus granuloma and single parenchymal calcified lesion are two common neuroimaging abnormalities in Indian patients with epilepsy. In this study, we evaluated the frequency and predictors of seizure recurrence in patients presenting with new onset epilepsy or single epileptic seizures and these two different imaging findings.Materials and methodsWe enrolled 115 patients with newly diagnosed epilepsy. All patients were clinically evaluated and were treated with oxcarbazepine. No anti-helminthic treatment was prescribed. The patients were followed up for 6 months. In the solitary cystic granuloma group, repeat computed tomography was done after 6 months.ResultsThe study included 80 patients with solitary cysticercus granuloma and 35 patients with a single calcified lesion. Twenty (25%) patients with solitary cysticercus granuloma and 12 (34.3%) patients with parenchymal calcified lesion had a seizure recurrence during the study period (p = 0.307). After 6 months, 57 (71.3%) patients in the solitary cysticercus granuloma group demonstrated complete resolution of the granuloma and in 21 (26.2%) patients the granuloma transformed into a calcified lesion. In the solitary cysticercus granuloma group, a family history of seizure, serial seizures and calcification on follow-up neuroimaging (p < 0.05) were significantly associated with recurrence of seizures. In patients with a single parenchymal calcified lesions, electroencephalographic abnormalities and serial seizures (p = <0.05) were significant predictors of recurrence. Kaplan–Meier statistics revealed that the seizure recurrence rate was insignificantly higher in patients with calcified lesions than in patients with solitary cysticercosis granulomas.ConclusionIn conclusion, in patients with solitary cysticercus granuloma, a family history of seizures, serial seizures and calcification of the granuloma, and in patients with a calcified brain lesion, electroencephalographic abnormalities, family history of epilepsy and serial seizures were associated with an increased risk of seizure recurrence.