[Comparative study on EEG and neuroimaging of patients with cerebral cysticercosis before and after treatment].

Objective: To study the changes of cerebral function and pathological morphology before and after the antiparasitic treatment with albendazole and praziquantel in patients with cerebral cysticercosis.

Methods: The data of EEG and neuroimaging of 412 patients with cerebral cysticercosis were retrospectively analyzed.

Results: Before the treatment, the mild abnormality, moderate abnormality, and severe abnormality were observed in 40.53%, 45.63% and 13.84% of the patients respectively, which mainly showed the diffuse or focal irregular slow waves, or epileptiform discharges found in the abnormal brain waves. CT/MRI manifestation could be divided into six types, including single sacculus type (23.59%), multiple sacculus type (44.42%), encephalitis type (13.59%), coexistence of macrocyst and sacculus type (4.85%), calcification type (2.18%), and mixed type (11.41%). After 3 courses of the treatment, the normal and improved EEGs were observed in 79.85% and 20.15%, respectively. CT/MRI showed the foci being all absorbed (77.18%), being most absorbed (20.63%), and being no changes (20.18%) which were calcified focus. When cerebral cysticercosis were in acute stage (the single and multiple sacculus type, encephalitis type, and macrocyst and sacculus coexistence type), the therapeutic effect was good; while in the mixed type, the therapeutic effect was relatively poor. If cysticercosis were in the calcification stage, the patients only needed the heteropathy.

Conclusions: In the patients with cerebral cysticercosis, EEGs show the mild to severe abnormalities, and CT/MRI mainly shows the multiple sacculus type. After the treatment, the abnormal EEGs are gradually recovered and the low density foci can be all absorbed, but some calcified focus still exist in some patients.