1. Gliomatosis cerebri and Rasmussen's encephalitis: Two different entities causing refractory epilepsy. Comparison through two clinical cases
- Author
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J. Aparicio, S. Candela-Cantó, J. Muchart, C. Jou, J. Rumià, J.A. Andermatten, O.C. Martinez, and J. Hinojosa
- Subjects
Male ,Rasmussen's encephalitis ,Drug Resistant Epilepsy ,Pathology ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Biopsy ,Gliomatosis cerebri ,Neurosurgical Procedures ,Diagnosis, Differential ,03 medical and health sciences ,Epilepsy ,Fatal Outcome ,0302 clinical medicine ,Continuous partial epilepsy ,medicine ,Humans ,Child ,medicine.diagnostic_test ,business.industry ,Brain biopsy ,Pediatric epilepsy surgery ,Brain ,Electroencephalography ,medicine.disease ,Magnetic Resonance Imaging ,Neoplasms, Neuroepithelial ,Brain hemiatrophy ,Paresis ,Hemiparesis ,030220 oncology & carcinogenesis ,Cerebral hemisphere ,Encephalitis ,Surgery ,Epilepsies, Partial ,Neurology (clinical) ,medicine.symptom ,Differential diagnosis ,business ,030217 neurology & neurosurgery - Abstract
Background and importance Rasmussen's Encephalitis (RE) is a chronic and progressive childhood disease caused by an inflammatory disorder that affects a cerebral hemisphere. On the other hand, Gliomatosis Cerebri (GC) is a rare primary neoplastic glial process with a diffuse and infiltrative growth. Clinical presentation We present two clinical cases with a history of continuous focal epilepsy refractory to antiepileptic drugs. They share similar clinical and radiologic features, but a different histopathological diagnosis. A brain biopsy was needed to distinguish GC from a RE. Conclusion The debut of a drug-resistant epilepsy with focal seizures and an ipsilateral progressive hemiparesis suggests the diagnosis of RE. However, there are other entities such as GC, which, despite its rarity, should be considered in the differential diagnosis. So, in some cases, histological diagnosis is needed.
- Published
- 2020