Gelastic seizures and low-grade hypothalamic astrocytoma: a case report

The typical, well recognized childhood epilepsy syndrome caused by hypothalamic hamartoma is characterized by early-onset, stereotyped attacks of uncontrollable laughter, frequent refractory seizures with progressive cognitive deterioration and severe behavioral problems. Here, we report a 17-year-o...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Brain & development (Tokyo. 1979) 2002-04, Vol.24 (3), p.183-186
Main Authors: COPPOLA, Giangennaro, SPAGNOLI, Diego, SCISCIO, Nicola, RUSSO, Francesco, VILLANI, Roberto Matteo
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Astrocytoma - complications
Astrocytoma - surgery
Biological and medical sciences
Cognition Disorders - etiology
Epilepsies, Partial - complications
Epilepsies, Partial - etiology
Epilepsies, Partial - physiopathology
Epilepsies, Partial - psychology
Humans
Hypothalamic Neoplasms - complications
Hypothalamic Neoplasms - surgery
Male
Medical sciences
Mental Disorders - etiology
Neurology
Treatment Outcome
Tumors of the nervous system. Phacomatoses
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Summary:The typical, well recognized childhood epilepsy syndrome caused by hypothalamic hamartoma is characterized by early-onset, stereotyped attacks of uncontrollable laughter, frequent refractory seizures with progressive cognitive deterioration and severe behavioral problems. Here, we report a 17-year-old patient with gelastic phenomenon started in the neonatal period, later on associated with drug resistant polymorphic seizures, intellectual deficit and behavioral disorders, who improved by partial resection of an expected hypothalamic hamartoma that, in turn, resulted to be a hypothalamic low-grade astrocytoma.
ISSN:0387-7604
1872-7131
DOI:10.1016/S0387-7604(02)00018-9