Brain MRI is demonstrating lesions in the broad spectrum of neurocysticercosis, with viable cysts in different stages of the disease. Cysts distribution is near the gray-white matter junction, in the basal ganglia and the corpus callosum.
Most of the lesions are at the vesicular stage, with a well-defined round enhancing structure within the cyst, which represents the scolex. These cysts' contents appear similar to CSF on the T1- and T2-weighted images and do not demonstrate fluid restriction on the diffusion WI. There is no enhancement in most cysts, no surrounding edema, and no mass effect.
Few degenerating cysts are progressing from the vesicular stage to the colloidal vesicular stage, with light ring enhancement, less defined scolex, and minimal surrounding edema.
The giant degenerating cyst located in the right superior frontal gyrus and centrum semiovale is in the colloidal vesicular stage, which is characterized by marked ring enhancement, an intense inflammatory reaction in the adjacent parenchyma, with surrounding edema and mass effect.
There are also rare small foci of hypointensities on T2 WI in both cerebral hemispheres, without surrounding edema, which represents the nodular calcified stage.