Albendazole therapy for subarachnoid cysticerci: clinical and neuroimaging analysis of 17 patients.

Seventeen patients with subarachnoid cysticerci received albendazole at doses of 15 mg/kg/day for eight days. All patients also received corticosteroids during the trial. Evaluation of the therapeutic response consisted of the comparison of the number of cysts shown by CT before and three months after treatment, and the evaluation of the clinical status of the patients before and after the trial. Before treatment, the 17 patients had 30 subarachnoid cysticerci, 11 of which were > 50 mm in diameter. Seventeen cysts were located at the convexity of cerebral hemispheres, seven at the sylvian fissure, five at the ambiens cisterns, and one at the cerebellopontine angle cistern. Fourteen patients had seizures, 10 had hemiparesis, three were demented, one had diminution of visual acuity, and one had hemifacial spasm. Brain CT obtained after therapy showed resolution of 27 cysts (90% effectiveness). Fourteen (82%) patients had total resolution of all cysts. All but three patients were asymptomatic. Remaining deficits included hemiparesis in two patients and diminution of visual acuity in one. It is concluded that albendazole is an effective treatment for subarachnoid cysticerci as it causes disappearance of most lesions on CT, and produces considerable improvement in the clinical manifestations of the patients.