Schizencephaly

Schizencephaly
A developmental disorder of the brain characterized by abnormal slits, or clefts, in the cerebral hemispheres. Schizencephaly is a form of porencephaly. Individuals with clefts in both hemispheres, or bilateral clefts, are often developmentally delayed and have delayed speech and language skills and corticospinal dysfunction. Individuals with smaller, unilateral clefts (clefts in one hemisphere) may be weak on one side of the body and may have average or near-average intelligence. Patients with schizencephaly may also have varying degrees of microcephaly, mental retardation, hemiparesis (weakness or paralysis affecting one side of the body), or quadriparesis (weakness or paralysis affecting all four extremities), and may have reduced muscle tone (hypotonia). Most patients have seizures and some may have hydrocephalus. In schizencephaly, the neurons border the edge of the cleft implying a very early disruption in development. There is now a genetic origin for at least one type of schizencephaly. Other possible causes may include environmental exposures during pregnancy such as medication taken by the mother, exposure to toxins, or a vascular insult. Often there are associated heterotopias (isolated islands of neurons) which indicate a failure of migration of the neurons to their final position in the brain. Treatment for individuals with schizencephaly generally consists of physical therapy, treatment for seizures, and, in cases that are complicated by hydrocephalus, a shunt. The prognosis for individuals with schizencephaly varies depending on the size of the clefts and the degree of neurological deficit.
* * *
Abnormal divisions or clefts of the brain substance. [schiz- + G. enkephalos, brain]

* * *

schiz·en·ceph·a·ly (skiz″ən-sefґə-le) [schiz- + Gr. enkephalos brain] schizencephalic porencephaly.

Medical dictionary. 2011.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Schizencephaly — DiseaseDisorder infobox Name = Schizencephaly ICD10 = ICD10|Q|04|6|q|00 ICD9 = ICD9|742.4 ICDO = Caption = OMIM = 269160 OMIM mult = MedlinePlus = eMedicineSubj = radio eMedicineTopic = 622 DiseasesDB = 33031 Schizencephaly is a type of cephalic… …   Wikipedia

  • Septo-optic dysplasia — Classification and external resources ICD 10 Q04.4 ICD 9 742.2 …   Wikipedia

  • Neural tube defect — Classification and external resources ICD 10 Q00, Q01, Q05 …   Wikipedia

  • Syringomyelia — Classification and external resources An idiopathic syrinx. See the thin light grey shape inside the spinal cord, placed at centre in the bottom half of the above image. ICD 10 G …   Wikipedia

  • List of neurological disorders — This is a list of major and frequently observed neurological disorders (e.g., Alzheimer s disease), symptoms (e.g., back pain), signs (e.g., aphasia) and syndromes (e.g., Aicardi syndrome). Contents: Top · 0–9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P …   Wikipedia

  • List of diseases (S) — A list of diseases in the English wikipedia.DiseasesTOC NOTOC Sa Sc Se Sh Si Sj Sn So Sp Sq Ss St Su Sw Sy aSaa Sak Sal Sar Sat Say aa Sal* Saal Bulas syndrome * Saal Greenstein syndrome * Sabinas brittle hair syndrome * Saccharopinuria * Sackey… …   Wikipedia

  • Hydrocephalus — For other uses, see Hydrocephalus (trilobite). Not to be confused with Hypocephalus. Hydrocephalus Classification and external resources Hydrocephalus seen on a CT scan of the brain. ICD …   Wikipedia

  • Spina bifida — Classification and external resources ICD 10 Q05, Q76.0 …   Wikipedia

  • Cephalic disorder — Classification and external resources ICD 10 Q00 Q07, Q67, Q75 ICD 9 740 742 Cephalic disorders (from the …   Wikipedia

  • Holoprosencephaly — Classification and external resources Diagram depicting the main subdivisions of the embryonic vertebrate brain. ICD 10 Q …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”