Intracranial Space Occupying Lesion with Hydatid Cyst: A Rare Infestation of Hydatid Isolate from Intracranial Cystic Lesion

The present case report aimed to bring into light a rare infestation of hydatid isolate from intracranial cystic lesion which was misdiagnosed as intracranial neurocysticercosis infestation at a tertiary care centre in northern India. A 16 year old female, resident of Uttar Pradesh presented to the Neurosurgery outpatient department (OPD) with a 3 months history of holocranial headache and generalised tonic clonic seizures for the past 1 year. Causes of intracranial cystic lesions other that hydatid cysts can either be abscesses or calcified neurocysticercosis or cystic and necrotic malignancies. In our case, a precoronal keyhole craniotomy and total excision of cyst followed by repeated cleaning with 3% hypertonic saline. Due to the deceiving appearance of cystic echinococcosis in the brain on CT scan, which appears as an image similar to a single cystic neurocysticercosis lesion with ring enhancement, wet mount preparation and microbiological tests are equally critical in the early diagnosis of the disease.