J Korean Radiol Soc.
1994 Jun;30(6):1003-1012.
An Experimental Study on Cerebral Paragonimiasis using Cats
Abstract
- PURPOSE
It is important to diagnose paragonimiasis in early active stage because it can be dured by chemotherapy.
However, it is difficult to make a correct diagnosis of cerebral paragonimiasis in the early active stage,
and the radiographic findings of cerebral paragonimiasis have been rarely reported. Thus, this experimental
study was designed to produce early active cerebral paragonimiasis and to demonstrate radiologic-pathologic
correlations.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
In 8 cats, 7-8 metacercariae of Paragonimus westerrnani were directly
introduced into the brain parenchyma of each cat's after trephination of the skull. In anogher 16 cats, the juvenile
worms and the adult worms that had developed for varying periods (2 weeks, 4 weeks, 6 weeks, 8 weeks
and 12 weeks) in the lunges of another cats were introduced into the brain parenchyma of each cat's with the
same procedures described above. Follw-up MR images and chest radiographs were obtained at 2 days, 1
weeks, 2 weeks, 4 weeks and 8 weeks after innoculation. The autopsies and histopathological examinations of
the cat's brain were undertaken in 22 cats. In 9 cats that were suspected with pulmonary lesions on chest
radiograph, the soft tissue radiographs of inflated-fixed lungs were obtained.
RESULTS
In one cat with innoculation of adult worm, acute suppurative inflammation of the brain parenchyma
was demonstrated. But the other cats with innoculction of adult worm or juvenile worm and the cats with
innoulation of metacercaris did not reveal any evidence of acute cerebral paragonimiasis. More than half of the
introduced metacercariae(5 out of 8 cats) were found in the lung parenchyma, while only 25%(4 out of 16 cats)
of the adult worm innoculated cats were.
CONCLUSION
Acute suppurative inflammation suggesting acute stage cerebral paragonimiasis was obtained
in one case of adult worm innoculated cat. Most of the innoculated metacercariae and some of the juvenile
worms or adult worms were migrated to the lungs.