An unusual cause of proptosis: Trichinellosis

Trichinellosis is a parasitic disease, which is caused by the ingestion of raw meat containing infective larvae of the parasitic nematode trichinella. The severity of the clinical course depends on parasitic factors such as the species involved, the number of living larvae ingested, and host factors such as sex, age, ethnic group, and immune status. Eye manifestations of trichinellosis are wide-ranging from mild to severe. We report an exceptional occurrence of severe bilateral proptosis due to trichinellosis shown by a CT scan that was done before and MRI that was done after treatment with steroids and showed noteworthy improvement. Radiology images are extremely important in the evaluation of proptosis and should be used more often in support of its differential diagnosis and treatment assessment.