Subretinal cysticercosis.

Subretinal cysticercosis was discovered in two South African Bantu-speaking blacks. A 50-year-old man had a live, mobile, subretinal cyst, 0.3 mm in diameter, at the macular of his only eye, causing retinal edema and superficial and deep hemorrhage. A 25-year-old woman had a 6-mm wide, live, mobile cyst at the posterior pole of her right eye, surrounded by retinal edema, hemorrhage, and vasculitis involving the disk. This cyst was removed intact, after division of the lateral rectus muscle and maximum rotation of the eye. Massive vitreous hemorrhage occurred despite diathermy application, and vision was lost. Localization and incision of the sclera were difficult; in retrospect, a lateral orbitotomy would have been advisable. Histology of the cyst showed typical features of the larva of Taenia solium-a single scolex with suckers and hooks-gland-shaped folds in the neck and membrane of the cyst wall.