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Face to Face With Teniasis
Image of the Month Face to Face With Teniasis CRISTINA CARRETERO, ANA BORDA, and MIGUEL MUÑOZ–NAVAS Gastroenterology Department, University Clinic of Navarra, Pamplona, Navarra, Spain
A
44-year-old man came to our office complaining of the presence of small whitish squared pieces mixed with the stools. Neither weight loss nor other gastrointestinal symptoms were related. Three months later a 47-year-old woman came to the office complaining of the same symptoms: discharge of white squared pieces generally mixed with stools but she also observed these pieces in her underwear. In both cases coproparasitological exams were obtained and with the suspicion of teniasis, wireless capsule endoscopy (PillCamSB™, Given Imaging, Yoqneam, Israel) was performed. In Figure A the scolex can be seen fixed to the small bowel wall. In this patient the tapeworm could be seen for 4 hours. Figure B shows proglottids in the same patient. Near the scolex the size of the proglottids are smaller than near the end of the tapeworm, as we can see in Figure C. Both cases received treatment with 25 mg/kg of praziquantel and polyethylene glycol solution with disappearance of symptoms.
Two other cases of taenia diagnosed by capsule endoscopy have been described in the literature.1,2 There is also 1 case of Diphyllobothrium latum seen by capsule endoscopy.3 We think wireless capsule endoscopy can be considered an efficient tool to diagnose tapeworm infestation. References 1. Barnett K, Emder P, Day AS, et al. Tapeworm infestation: a cause of iron deficiency anemia shown by capsule endoscopy. Gastrointest Endosc 2007;66:625– 627. 2. Martines H, Fanciulli E, Menardo G. Incidental video-capsule diagnosis of small-bowel Taenia saginata in a patient with recurrent hemorrhage due to angiodysplasias. Endoscopy 2006;38 Suppl 2:E35. 3. Hirata M, Yamaguchi Y, Ikei Y, et al. A case of Diphyllobothrium latum/nihonkaiense infection identified by capsule endoscopy in small intestine. Gastrointest Endosc 2006;64:129; discussion 130.
Conflicts of interest The authors disclose no conflicts. © 2010 by the AGA Institute 1542-3565/10/$36.00 doi:10.1016/j.cgh.2009.03.003 CLINICAL GASTROENTEROLOGY AND HEPATOLOGY 2010;8:xxxvi
A
44-year-old man came to our office complaining of the presence of small whitish squared pieces mixed with the stools. Neither weight loss nor other gastrointestinal symptoms were related. Three months later a 47-year-old woman came to the office complaining of the same symptoms: discharge of white squared pieces generally mixed with stools but she also observed these pieces in her underwear. In both cases coproparasitological exams were obtained and with the suspicion of teniasis, wireless capsule endoscopy (PillCamSB™, Given Imaging, Yoqneam, Israel) was performed. In Figure A the scolex can be seen fixed to the small bowel wall. In this patient the tapeworm could be seen for 4 hours. Figure B shows proglottids in the same patient. Near the scolex the size of the proglottids are smaller than near the end of the tapeworm, as we can see in Figure C. Both cases received treatment with 25 mg/kg of praziquantel and polyethylene glycol solution with disappearance of symptoms.
Two other cases of taenia diagnosed by capsule endoscopy have been described in the literature.1,2 There is also 1 case of Diphyllobothrium latum seen by capsule endoscopy.3 We think wireless capsule endoscopy can be considered an efficient tool to diagnose tapeworm infestation. References 1. Barnett K, Emder P, Day AS, et al. Tapeworm infestation: a cause of iron deficiency anemia shown by capsule endoscopy. Gastrointest Endosc 2007;66:625– 627. 2. Martines H, Fanciulli E, Menardo G. Incidental video-capsule diagnosis of small-bowel Taenia saginata in a patient with recurrent hemorrhage due to angiodysplasias. Endoscopy 2006;38 Suppl 2:E35. 3. Hirata M, Yamaguchi Y, Ikei Y, et al. A case of Diphyllobothrium latum/nihonkaiense infection identified by capsule endoscopy in small intestine. Gastrointest Endosc 2006;64:129; discussion 130.
Conflicts of interest The authors disclose no conflicts. © 2010 by the AGA Institute 1542-3565/10/$36.00 doi:10.1016/j.cgh.2009.03.003 CLINICAL GASTROENTEROLOGY AND HEPATOLOGY 2010;8:xxxvi