I am a 19 year old college student who adores the ABC television series Grey’s Anatomy (shocking, I know). Although my fan girl attitude may now be considered “basic” for this Netflix phenomenon, I like to consider myself as more than the typical “Mc Steamy” lover. I sit here writing this post cuddled up in my royal blue custom made sweat shirt that reads, “Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital”, prepared to answer any trivial question imaginable about the series I have shamelessly viewed countless times. I am one of those wildly indecisive freshmen that contemplated going into medicine due to the infatuation I have with the medical field as portrayed on Grey’s. This leaves me with a burning question: How realistic are the medical cases that are featured on Grey’s Anatomy? One case I found interesting to research the validity of revolves around a topic that we covered in class- worms. In season 5, episode 15 of the series, a patient comes in with parasites in his brain that are leaving little sacs of residual fluid and causing him to have siezures. A well-known neurosurgeon named Dr. Shephard fears that this is inoperable. He worries that he may accidentally puncture the sacs in the patients brain, causing worms to be released into the patients brain. One conceivable option is draining the sacs before removing them. On the television show, the surgery is successful. Can parasites actually get into a human’s brain? If so, is this medical emergency curable?

Upon doing research, I have found that there are some common parasites that invade human brains. One kind called Naegleria Fowleri is commonly found in warm natural water and can travel into a person’s brain through their nose, ultimately destroying brain tissue. Taenia solium tapeworms can live inside the human intestinal tract, produce eggs that its human host then expels fecally, which is then eaten by pigs and then ultimately consumed by humans in pork products. These worms can burrow in the blood stream and end up in the brain causing a disease called neurocysticercosis which leads to seizures, headaches and possibly death. This is the type of worm the patient on Grey’s was effected by.

When researching the treatments for this type of tapeworm in the brain, I found that there are many drugs used to treat them rather than just surgery. Wikipedia explains that Neurocysticercosis may look like hydrocephalus so immediate emergent “reduction of intracranial pressure and anticonvulsant medications” are necessary..”Once the seizures have been brought under control, antihelminthic treatments may be undertaken. The decision to treat with antiparasitic therapy is complex and based on the stage and number of cysts present, their location, and the persons specific symptoms”. Despite what the Grey’s Anatomy episode showed as necessary treatment, “surgical intervention is much more likely to be needed in cases of intraventricular, racemose, or spinal neurocysticercosis”. This would lead to “excision of ventricular cysts, shunting procedures, and removal of cysts via endoscopy”.

In conclusion, the basis for medical cases depicted on Grey’s Anatomy are generally very accurate. Some of the treatment plans may be exaggerated in an attempt to make stories more interesting. For now, I will continue to pretend that I have a bright future for a possible career in medicine as a result of memorizing lines and concepts from my favorite television series.

Patient with worms from Greys

Tapeworms in Human Brain
Photo from: http://sportact.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Tapeworm-in-brain-This-guy-had-a-tapeworm-in-his-brain-for-4-years.jpg