The complicated pathophysiological and immunological changes in the ce
ntral nervous system of patients with neurocysticercosis produce a var
iety of signs and symptoms, which complicate the clinical and surgical
management of this disease. A complete and objective classification i
s needed, to improve the medical approach as a whole. We studied 336 p
atients, in whom we classified neurocysticerosis according to criteria
of viability and location of the parasite in the CNS: active form (37
.2%) when the cysticercus is alive, transitional form (32.8%) when it
is in the degenerative phase, and inactive form (30%) when the parasit
e is dead. This classification establishes the correlation between the
different forms of neurocysticerosis and its clinical manifestations,
and can be used for planning therapeutic strategies.