Hippocampal Characteristics Among Children with Calcified Neurocysticercosis.

Aim: The aim of this article is to describe the hippocampal characteristics among children with calcified neurocysticercosis (cNCC). Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among children with epilepsy aged 3-14 years diagnosed with cNCC. Patients showing evidence of cNCC, with prior serial imaging evidence of active NCC, were enrolled. Eligible participants were subjected to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based protocol and sleep-deprived electroencephalography. Hippocampal characteristics on the MRI were described. Results: A total of 31 children with mean (SD) age of 10.3 (3.2) years with cNCC were enrolled in the study. We observed that 42% (13/31) of children with cNCC had borderline (10-20% difference in the volumes of right and left hippocampi) (n = 8) or clear (>20% difference) (n = 5) hippocampal atrophy. Among 31 children with cNCC, 27 (87.1%) had nidus within the lesion and 21 (67.7%) had perilesional gliosis. Conclusion: Children with cNCC are at risk of seizure recurrence on tapering anti-seizure medications. Our study with limited sample size revealed that hippocampal atrophy and perilesional gliosis are prevalent among children with cNCC, predisposing them to the risk of epilepsy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]