Cerebral blood flow and sources of abnormal EEG activity (VARETA) in neurocysticercosis

• Published in: Clinical neurophysiology Vol. 112; no. 12; pp. 2281 - 2287
• Main Authors: Fernández-Bouzas, Antonio, Harmony, Thalı́a, Fernández, Thalı́a, Ricardo-Garcell, Josefina, Casián, Gustavo, Sánchez-Conde, Raul
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Shannon Elsevier Ireland Ltd 01-12-2001; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Adult; Afferent Pathways - physiopathology; Biological and medical sciences; Blood-Brain Barrier; Brain - diagnostic imaging; Brain Edema - etiology; Brain Edema - physiopathology; Cerebral Cortex - physiopathology; Cerebral Infarction - physiopathology; Cerebrovascular Circulation; Computerized tomography; Computerized tomography assessed with inhaled stable xenon; Electroencephalography - methods; Female; Humans; Magnetoencephalography; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Neurocysticercosis; Neurocysticercosis - complications; Neurocysticercosis - diagnostic imaging; Neurocysticercosis - physiopathology; Neurology; Quantitative electroencephalography; Theta Rhythm; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; Variable resolution electromagnetic tomography; Vascular diseases and vascular malformations of the nervous system; Xenon; Variable resolution electromagnetic tomography; Quantitative electroencephalography; Neurocysticercosis; Computerized tomography; Computerized tomography assessed with inhaled stable xenon; Human; Current source; Regional blood flow; Cerebral infarction; Nervous system diseases; Cysticercosis; Cardiovascular disease; Electroencephalography; Parasitosis; Helminthiasis; Blood brain barrier; Cestode disease; Cerebral disorder; Infection; Vascular disease; Ischemia; Central nervous system disease; Tomography; Hemodynamics; Lesion; Cerebrovascular disease; Brain (vertebrata)
• ISSN: 1388-2457; 1872-8952
• DOI: 10.1016/S1388-2457(01)00690-3

Objectives: To compare two different functional procedures in the assessment of brain ischemia in patients with neurocysticercosis (NCC): (1) electroencephalography (EEG) evaluated by brain maps and EEG current sources in the frequency domain using variable resolution electromagnetic tomography and (2) blood flow analyzed by computerized tomography assessed with stable Xe (Xe-CT).
Methods: Eleven patients with NCC at different evolution stages were studied. CT and Xe-CT scans, as well as quantitative electroencephalography with source calculation in the frequency domain, were obtained. All patients showed cysts and in 6 of them there were also vascular complications: two of them presented calcifications of the middle cerebral artery, two other subjects showed calcifications of the vessels in the circle of Willis and the remaining two had brain infarctions.
Results: In the cyst areas important hypoperfused zones were observed, as intense as those observed in infarcted areas. Damage to the blood–brain barrier was originated by parasites in colloidal phase (final cysticerci stage) producing large areas of edema and hypoperfusion. Abnormal delta EEG activity was observed in very large lesions, probably generated by partial cortical deafferentation; and abnormal theta activity was mainly related to the presence of edema.
Conclusions: Sources of abnormal EEG activity were very similar in topography to the hypoperfused areas.