Intramuscular sparganosis is not common, and its rarity makes it difficult to be distinguished from soft tissue tumors. A case of rare intramuscular sparganosis is reported. A 44-year-old man presented with a painful mass in the left thigh for 8 months, which was initially diagnosed a as soft tissue tumor. Ultrasonography and MRI revealed a multilobulated mass in the sartorius muscle. After the needle biopsy under the guidance of ultrasonography, sparganum was discovered under microscopic examination of the excised tissue. Surgical excision was performed, and a live larva of sparganum was removed. Sparganosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of soft tissue tumors, especially among Koreans who have frequently ingested mountain water and consumed raw snakes or frogs.
Adult ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Human ; Male ; Muscle Neoplasms/*diagnosis ; Sparganosis/*diagnosis/parasitology/radiography/ultrasonography

Recent advances in radiological and serological techniques have enabled easier preoperative diagnosis of sparganosis. However, due to scarcity of cases, sparganosis has been often regarded as a disease of other etiologic origin unless the parasite is confirmed in the lesion. We experienced a case of sparganosis mimicking a varicose vein in terms of clinical manifestations and radiological findings. Sparganosis should be included among the list of differential diagnosis with the varicose vein.
Varicose Veins/*diagnosis/ultrasonography ; Thigh/*parasitology/pathology/surgery ; Sparganum/*isolation & purification ; Sparganosis/*diagnosis/pathology/surgery ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging/methods ; Knee/pathology/radiography ; Humans ; Female ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Animals ; Adult