| Disease
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Prominent clinical features
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Lab findings
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Radiological findings
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| Neurocysticercosis
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| Brain abscess
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- Lumbar puncture is contraindicated but when done, it was variable between patients.
- Culture from the CT-guided aspirated lesion helps in identifying the causative agent.
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| Brain tumors
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- CT may be used in localizing the tumor and getting a rough estimate on the dimensions.
- MRI: Gadolinium-enhanced MRI is the preferred imaging modality for assessing the extension of the tumor and its exact location.[3]
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| Brain tuberculoma
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- Presentations are usually due to the pressure effect, not the T.B. bacilli.
- Presenting symptoms and signs in order of occurrence:[4]
- Episodes of focal seizures
- Signs of increased intracranial pressure
- Focal neurologic deficits.
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- CT: Contrast-enhanced CT scan shows a ring enhancing lesion surrounded by an area of hypodensity (cerebritis) and the resulting mass effect.
- MRI: Better than CT scan in assessing the site and size of the tuberculoma. Gadolinium-enhanced MRI shows a ring enhancing lesion between 1-5 cm in size (In NCC, the wall is thicker, calcifications are eccentric and the diameter is less than 2 cm)
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| Neurosarcoidosis
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- 70% of the patients present with the neurological symptoms rather than the presentation of systemic disease. Common presentations are:[5]
- Cranial nerve neuropathies: Facial palsy is the most common presentation.
- Meningeal involvement: diffuse meningeal inflammation can cause diffuse basilar polyneuropathy in 40% of the patients. with neurosarcoidosis.
- Inflammatory spinal cord disease: Inflammatory span usually more than 3 spinal cord segments which helps to differentiate it from Multiple Sclerosis.
- Peripheral neuropathy: Asymmetric polyneuropathy or mononeuritis multiplex. It may also manifest as Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) like presentation.
- HPO axis involvement: may present as diabetes insipidus. More than 50% of the cases have no radiological signs.
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