The malformations of the cerebral cortex represent a major cause of developmental disabilities, severe epilepsy and reproductive disadvantage. The advent of high resolution MRI techniques has facilitated the in vivo identification of a large group of cortical malformation phenotypes. Several malformation syndromes caused by abnormal cortical development have been recognized and specific causati...

To cite: Syed AE. BMJ Case Rep Published online: [please include Day Month Year] doi:10.1136/bcr-2014206522 DESCRIPTION A 5-month-old full-term male patient, born of a nonconsanguineous marriage presented to A&E department following parental concerns about abnormal movements and developmental regression. Development halted at 4 months of age. The patient increasingly showed episodes with flicke...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Although microcephaly is the most prominent feature of congenital Zika syndrome, a spectrum with less severe cases is starting to be recognized. Our aim was to review neuroimaging of infants to detect cases without microcephaly and compare them with those with microcephaly. MATERIALS AND METHODS We retrospectively evaluated all neuroimaging (MR imaging/CT) of infants 1 ...

− Malformations of the cerebral cortex (MCC) are often associated with severe epilepsy and developmental delay. About 40% of drug-resistant epilepsies are caused by MCC. Classification of MCC is based on embryological brain development, recognising forms that result from faulty neuronal proliferation, neuronal migration and cortical organisation. Hemimegalencephaly, an enlarged dysplastic hemis...

After the pioneering work of Hans Berger in the 1930s (1), electroencephalography (EEG) opened a new window on epilepsy. This led to its general acceptance and now widespread use. It provided an invaluable new dimension to the ability to locate epileptogenic abnormalities in patients with focal or partial epilepsy. The presence of structural lesions in patients with partial epilepsy had, of cou...

OBJECTIVES To present long-term outcome and to identify predictors of seizure freedom after vagus nerve stimulation (VNS). METHODS All patients who had undergone VNS implantation in the Epilepsy Centre Bethel were retrospectively reviewed. There were 144 patients who had undergone complete presurgical evaluation, including detailed clinical history, magnetic resonance imaging, and long-term v...

INTRODUCTION Malformations of cortical development (MCDs) are increasingly recognized as important cause of epilepsy, especially refractory epilepsy. In developing countries like India, where the facilities for sophisticated imaging are not easily accessible to all, the prevalence and the types of cortical malformations are largely unknown. Hence this preliminary study has been undertaken to ex...

OBJECTIVE To report radiological findings observed in computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of the first cases of congenital infection and microcephaly presumably associated with the Zika virus in the current Brazilian epidemic. DESIGN Retrospective study with a case series. SETTING Association for Assistance of Disabled Children (AACD), Pernambuco state, Brazi...

Recently, a few review articles have been published on Zika virus discussing many aspects of Zika virus infection eloquently; however, they did not mention the evidence on Zika virusassociated seizures [1,2]. The potential for worldwide Zika virus spread is large [1,2]. About 80% of people infected by Zika virus appear to be without symptoms. When symptoms occur, they are described as “dengue-l...

We review here those malformations of the cerebral cortex which are most often observed in epilepsy patients, for which a genetic basis has been elucidated or is suspected and give indications for genetic testing. There are three forms of lissencephaly (agyria-pachygyria) resulting from mutations of known genes, which can be distinguished because of their distinctive imaging features. They acco...