Magnetic resonance imaging in the diagnosis of subretinal cysticercosis

PURPOSE: To report a case of ocular cysticercosis and associated magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings. DESIGN: Interventional case report. METHODS: A 56-year-old woman from Ecuador presented with decreased vision and an exudative retinal detachment in the left eye. Subretinal cysticercosis was suspected. RESULTS: In the left eye, a subretinal cyst evident on fundus examination was investigated with B-scan ultrasonography. Ultrasonography showed a cystic structure, and MRI of the orbit confirmed the suspicion for cysticercosis. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain also revealed a small parenchymal lesion in the left occipital lobe of the brain. CONCLUSIONS: Magnetic resonance imaging is a useful adjunct to B-scan ultrasonography in the diagnosis of ocular cysticercosis. Magnetic resonance imaging is superior to computed tomography in the demonstration of cystic structures in the eye and central nervous system. This finding has important therapeutic implications, as any viable cysticercus in the eye or cerebral parenchyma can be treated surgically or medically, respectively. © 2002 by Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.link_to_subscribed_fulltex