Extracranial cysticercosis of the parotid gland: a case report with a review of the literature

Review of cysticercosis of maxillofacial region and report of two cases

Cysticercosis is a parasitic infection caused by the larval stage of Taenia solium, which very rarely manifests in the maxillofacial region. It usually presents as a painless swelling. The most common site for maxillofacial cysticercosis are the tongue and lips. When humans accidently ingest the eggs of Taenia solium, they become the intermediate host, a role which is typically played by pig. This paper describes two cases of cysticercosis cellulosae, presenting as non-tender swelling of left buccal mucosa and left temporalis region respectively. Case reports available on PubMed were searched and a review was performed. Excision of cystic lesion was the treatment modality in majority of published reports. It is emphasised that cysticercosis should be considered in differential diagnosis of solitary painless swellings of oral and maxillofacial region, especially in patients from an endemic region.

Unilateral Cysticercosis of the Parotid Gland: Case Report, Diagnosis, and Clinical Management

Cysticercosis is a systemic parasitic infection caused by the establishment of the larval form of the parasitic cestode, Taenia solium. Cysticercosis is acquired via the fecal-oral route and is prevalent in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Patients typically manifest with skeletal muscle, subcutaneous, or central nervous system involvement. Though there are reports of oral mucosa involvement, solitary involvement of the parotid gland is rare. This is a rare case of a 57-year-old man diagnosed with parotid cysticercosis by imaging and FNA. He was successfully treated by anthelminthic therapy and needle aspiration. The patient has been seen back several times. The cyst is not palpable, and he is satisfied. Parotid cysticercosis should be considered in the differential of a parotid mass in patients who have traveled to endemic regions. Though prior reports have indicated the importance of surgical excision, this patient was treated medically.

Lymphoepithelial cyst as a herald of HIV seropositivity in a patient with known history of neurocysticercosis and suspected parotid cysticercosis

Among those with acquired immune deficiency syndrome, salivary gland pathology and other less common signs of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) seropositivity are emerging. Generally speaking, lymphoepithelial lesions of the parotid gland are uncommon with a reported incidence of 0.6%, but they are beginning to overtake other oral lesions such as candidiasis as predominant oral manifestations of clinical HIV infection. Here, we describe a patient with a known history of neurocysticercosis with presumed extracranial cysticercosis as demonstrated by the clinical manifestation of bilateral parotid gland swelling and a ring-enhancing, hypodense lesion of the left parotid gland on CT. He was found to have a lymphoepithelial cyst arising in a lobe of the left parotid gland per pathological evaluation after left superficial parotidectomy, and this served as the initial sign of HIV positivity, which was confirmed by serological studies.

Encysted Tenia solium larva of oral cavity: Case report with review of literature

Cysticercosis is caused by the larvae of the pig tapeworm, Tenia solium. Oral cysticercosis is a rare event and is often a diagnostic challenge to the clinician. We report a 12-year-old girl who presented with a single, painless, nodule on the lower lip that was diagnosed as cysticercosis. Current literature on the clinical presentations, investigations, and treatment of the condition has been reviewed in this article. We have also proposed a set of criteria for the diagnosis of oral cysticercosis.