To illustrate the imaging findings of some relevant parasitic diseases. To outline that imaging techniques can play an important role to face these emergent pathologies.

Although parasitic diseases are relatively uncommon in our daily practice, in Western Europe some of these conditions are recently increasing mainly due to immigration from tropical endemic regions. Moreover, some parasitic diseases are still endemic in some European regions. Knowing typical imaging features of these diseases is essential not only to achieve a correct diagnosis, but also to accomplish an appropriate clinical management. A parasite is an organism which lives in another organis and benefits by deriving nutrients at the other’s expense, occasionally causing illness....

We reviewed all the cases of parasitic diseases that had been admitted to our institution since 2002 to 2012 and selected those which had imaging tests. We examined these tests and selected representative images of the parasitic diseases, reviewing the main imaging findings described in the current literature. These are the selected parasites we found as representative cases. ECHINOCOCCOSIS or HYDATID DISEASE Echinococcosis is caused by various forms of Echinococcus tapeworms (E. granulosus, E. multilocularis mainly, but also E. vogeli and E. oligarthrus). Canides are...

As radiologists we should keep in mind the main imaging findings of parasitic diseases, as they are emerging conditions from endemic tropical areas and also still endemic in some regions of Europe. It is our mission as imaging professionals to recognize them in order to diagnose and manage them correctly.

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Paula Hernández Pablo Rodríguez Carnero Susana Martín Garre Department of Radiology Hospital Clínico San Carlos Prof. Martín Lagos s/n 28040 Madrid, Spain. email to: [email protected]