The diagnosis of neurocysticercosis usually requires MRI or CT brain scans. Blood tests may be useful to help diagnose an infection, but they may not always be positive in light infections. If you have been diagnosed with cysticercosis, you and your family members should be tested for intestinal tapeworm infection.
Treatments focus on removing the parasite and managing symptomsTrusted Source, by controlling seizures, swelling, and intracranial hypertension, for example.
The right course of treatment will also depend on the position, size, abundance, and maturity of the parasites.
After assessing the person’s symptoms and the extent of the infection, a doctor may use antiparasitic and anti-inflammatory therapy. In some cases, surgery is necessary to remove cysts.
For people with symptoms and multiple noncalcified cysts, doctors can use certain drugs to expel the parasites, which is known as anthelmintic therapy. This approach, however, is not suitable for people with calcified cysts.
A doctor may also administer steroids to suppress the inflammatory response and anticonvulsant therapy to suppress seizures.
In areas where neurocysticercosis is common, vets can treatTrusted Source pigs with vaccines and anti-parasitic medication to stop the cycle of disease.
Recovery time depends on a range of individual factors, but the number of people who fully recover is growing, due to medical advances.
