Visual hallucinations: A novel complication after hemispherectomy

Two patients at our center experienced florid visual hallucinations following hemispherectomy. Case 1 had intractable left hemisphere focal seizures at 20 months of age from a previous stroke. Following functional hemispherectomy at age 3, he experienced frightening hallucinations 1 month post-operatively for 3.5 months. Case 2 underwent subtotal hemispherectomy at age 6 for intractable focal seizures from right hemisphere cortical dysplasia. 18 months later he developed scary visualizations during which he would shout and throw things. Hallucinations recurred for 6 months. In our experience in these patients, even though symptoms were florid, they were transient and subsided 3-6 months later.