Acessibilidade / Reportar erro

The epilepsy in neurocysticercosis

One hundred and thirty one cases of epilepsy with neurocysticercosis were studied. The investigation was made in regard to the type of epilepsy, the disease duration, the frequency of seizures and the electroencephalographic pattern regarding the epilepsies in general. The study was also done concerning the headache, the neurological findings, the cerebrospinal fluid, plain and contrasted radiologic examination and histopathology. The author draw the following conclusions: 1) In the neurocysticercosis group the onset of disease predominate in the first decada and from the fourth decada. 2) Concerning the type of seizures, the convulsions predominate; the Jacksonian fits were the less frequent. 3) Concerning the duration of disease the epilepsy with short duration (one year or less) predominate in the neurocysticercosis group. 4) The severity of epilepsy (frequency of seizures) was smaller in the neurocysticercosis group. 5) Excluding the cases with continuous EEG abnormalities, there were more normal EEG in neurocysticercosis group than in epilepsies in general. 6) The headache was present in 68% of cases, with paroxysmal pattern in the greater number (78%); in 67% of cases with paroxysmal headache the intracranial hypertension signs were absent; in the cases with continuous headache these signs were not present in only two cases (13%). 7) In the greater number (62%) th3 patients have presented only epileptic manifestations without focal neurological signs or intracranial hypertension.


Academia Brasileira de Neurologia - ABNEURO R. Vergueiro, 1353 sl.1404 - Ed. Top Towers Offices Torre Norte, 04101-000 São Paulo SP Brazil, Tel.: +55 11 5084-9463 | +55 11 5083-3876 - São Paulo - SP - Brazil
E-mail: revista.arquivos@abneuro.org