Case report: Lower extremity sparganosis in a bursa.

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.