52,53 Seizures are usually resistant to medical therapy and control may only be achieved by surgery such as anatomical or functional hemispherectomy.53-55 HMEG has been seen in association with both neurocutaneous and overgrowth syndromes. Neurocutaneous associations include the linear nevus sebaceous syndrome,56 hypomclanosis of Ito,57 tuberous sclerosis,11 and neurofibromatosis.58 Approximately Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical 50% of cases of linear nevus sebaceous syndrome have associated HMEG.59 On MRI the cortical gray matter is almost uniformly abnormal, showing areas of thickening and gyral simplification similar to pachygyria or overfolding that resembles Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical polymicrogyria
(PMG). In both cases the gray-white junction appears indistinct. White
matter is generally markedly increased in volume, and often contains tissue isointense to cortical gray matter, consistent with graymatter heterotopia. There may be white-matter signal change consistent with either Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical dysmyelination or advanced myclination.37,46 The ipsilatcral ventricle is usually enlarged and dysmorphic, often with extension of the posterior horn of the lateral ventricle across the midline.46,60,61 There may be enlargement of the ipsilatcral cerebellar hemisphere and brain stem, an appearance which has been named “total hemimegalencephaly.” 62 The typical imaging features of HMEG are shown Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical in Figure 3. Figure 3. Imaging features of hemimegalencephaly. Axial T2-wieghted MRI (left) and coronal T2 -weighted MRI (right) of an infant with hemimegalencephaly showing an enlarged and dysmorphic
left hemisphere containing an enlarged lateral ventricle, periventricular … The etiology of HMEG remains Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical unknown. There are no clear environmental selleck inhibitor causes or associations with known chromosomal abnormalities. It is generally assumed that HMEG results from a defect leading to excessive proliferation of both neurons and astrocytes and the known association of HMEG with other disorders of cellular proliferation such as TSC and neurofibromatosis supports this hypothesis. One study has shown the abnormal expression of the L1 neural Sitaxentan cell adhesion molecule (L1CAM) in 10 children with HMEG compared with 23 controls.63 L1CAM is known to be involved in regulation of neuroblast migration and axonal development. MCDs as a consequence of abnormal neuronal migration Classical lissencephaly The term lissencephaly (LIS) has generally been used to describe disorders in which the mature brain is deficient in gyration. Classical LIS was previously known as “type I” US.64 Classical LIS is a different malformation to cobblestone LIS (or cobblestone dysplasia), previously referred to as “type II LIS.