Case report: Lower extremity sparganosis in a bursa.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Sparganosis is a rare parasitic infection caused by the plerocercoid tapeworm larva of the genus Spirometra. CASE DESCRIPTION We report the case of a 67-year-old man with a mass over the anteromedial surface of the proximal extremity of the tibia. We surgically excised a bursa containing Spirometra larvae. LITERATURE REVIEW Sparganosis is a rare parasitic infection. We found no cases of lower extremity sparganosis combined with bursitis reported in the literature. PURPOSES AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Sparganosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of soft tissue tumors, especially among patients who frequently have consumed mountain water or raw snakes or frogs.