Neurology 2021 Mar 4;96(9):e1319-e1333. Epub 2020 Dec 4.
From the Department of Brain and Behavioural Neurosciences (S.M., A.P., M. Formica, S.O.) and Department of Public Health Experimental and Forensic Medicine, Biostatistic and Clinical Epidemiology Unit (P. Borrelli), University of Pavia; Pediatric Neurology Unit (S.M., M. Mastrangelo, P.V.), V. Buzzi Children's Hospital, Milan; Department of Neuroradiology (A.P.), Child Neurology and Psychiatry Unit (R.B., V.D.G., S.O.), and Department of Internal Medicine and Therapeutics, Member of the ERN EpiCARE, University of Pavia and Clinical Trial Center (E.P.), IRCCS Mondino Foundation Pavia; Neuroimaging Lab (F.A.) and Neuropsychiatry and Neurorehabilitation Unit (R.R.), Scientific Institute, IRCCS Eugenio Medea, Bosisio Parini, Lecco; Child Neuropsychiatric Unit (P.A., L.G.), Civilian Hospital, Brescia; Scientific Institute (P. Bonanni, A.D., E.O.), IRCCS E. Medea, Epilepsy and Clinical Neurophysiology Unit, Conegliano, Treviso; UOC Child Neuropsychiatry (B.D.B., F.D.), Department of Surgical Sciences, Dentistry, Gynecology and Pediatrics, University of Verona, Italy; Département de Neurologie Pédiatrique (N.D.), Hôpital Universitaire des Enfants Reine Fabiola, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium; AdPueriVitam (O.D.), Antony; Service d'Explorations Fonctionnelles (S.G.), Centre de Médecine du Sommeil, l'Hôpital Àntoine Béclère, AP-HP, Clamart; Pediatrics Departement (S.G.), André-Grégoire Hospital, Centre Hospitalier Inter Communal, Montreuil, France; Pediatric Neurology, Neurogenetics and Neurobiology Unit and Laboratories, Neuroscience Department (R.G., M. Montomoli, M.C.) and Radiology (M. Mortilla), A. Meyer Children's Hospital, Member of the ERN EpiCARE, University of Florence; IRCCS Stella Maris Foundation (R.G.), Pisa; Child Neuropsychiatry Unit, Epilepsy Center (F.L.B., A.V.), San Paolo Hospital, Department of Health Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan; Child Neurology, NESMOS Department (P.P.), Faculty of Medicine & Psychology, Sant'Andrea Hospital, Sapienza University, Rome; Department of Neuroradiology (L.P.), Pediatric Neuroradiology Section, ASST Spedali Civili, Brescia; Pediatric Neuroradiology Unit (M.S.), IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genova; Neurology Unit, Department of Neuroscience, Member of the ERN EpiCARE (F.V.), Oncological Neuroradiology Unit, Department of Imaging, IRCCS (G.C.), and Department of Neuroscience and Neurorehabilitation (A.F.), Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, Rome, Italy; Institut Imagine (N.B.-B.), Université Paris Descartes-Sorbonne Paris Cités; Pediatric Neurology (N.B.-B., I.D.), Necker Enfants Malades Hospital, Member of the ERN EpiCARE, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris; INSERM UMR-1163 (N.B.-B., A. Arzimanoglou), Embryology and Genetics of Congenital Malformations, France; UOC Neurochirurgia (A. Accogli, V.C.), Pediatric Neurology and Muscular Diseases Unit, Department of Neurosciences, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health, University of Genoa (F.Z.), and Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Neuroscience, IRCCS (F.Z.), Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genoa, Italy; Neurochirurgie Pédiatrique (M.B.), Hôpital NEM, Paris, France; Centre Médico-Chirurgical des Eaux-Vives (V.C.-V.), Swiss Medical Network, Genève, Switzerland; Neuroradiology Unit (L.C.) and Developmental Neurology Unit (S.D.), Foundation IRCCS C. Besta Neurological Institute, Milan; Service de Génétique (M.D.-F.), AMH2, CHU Reims, UFR de Médecine, Reims, France; Epilepsy Centre-Clinic of Nervous System Diseases (G.d.), Riuniti Hospital, Foggia, Italy; MediClubGeorgia Co Ltd (N.E.), Tbilisi, Georgia; Epilepsy Center (N.E.), Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Germany; Child and Adolescence Neurology and Psychiatry Unit (E. Fazzi), ASST Civil Hospital, Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Brescia; Child Neurology Department (E. Fiorini), Verona, Italy; Service de Genetique Clinique (M. Fradin, P.L., C.Q.), CLAD-Ouest, Hospital Sud, Rennes, France; Child Neurology Unit, Pediatric Department (C.F., C.S.), Azienda USL-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia; Department of Pediatric Neuroscience (T.G., R.S.), Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Member of the ERN EpiCARE, Milan, Italy; Department of Epilepsy Genetics and Personalized Treatment (K.M.J., R.S.M.), The Danish Epilepsy Centre, Dianalund; Institute for Regional Health Services (K.M.J., R.S.M.), University of Southern Denmark, Odense; Unit of Pediatric Neurology and Pediatric Neurorehabilitation (S.L.), Woman-Mother-Child Department, Lausanne University Hospital CHUV, Switzerland; Unit of Neuroradiology (D.M.), Fondazione CNR/Regione Toscana G. Monasterio, Pisa; Pediatric Neurology Unit and Epilepsy Center (E.R., A.R.), Fatebenefratelli Hospital, Milan, Italy; KJF Klinik Josefinum GmbH (C.U.), Klinik für Kinder und Jugendliche, Neuropädiatrie, Augsburg, Germany; Department of Paediatric Clinical Epileptology, Sleep Disorders and Functional Neurology (A. Arzimanoglou), University Hospitals of Lyon, Coordinator of the ERN EpiCARE, France; and Pediatric Epilepsy Unit, Child Neurology Department (P.V.), Hospital San Juan de Dios, Member of the ERN EpiCARE and Universitat de Barcelona, Spain.
Objective: Aiming to detect associations between neuroradiologic and EEG evaluations and long-term clinical outcome in order to detect possible prognostic factors, a detailed clinical and neuroimaging characterization of 67 cases of Aicardi syndrome (AIC), collected through a multicenter collaboration, was performed.
Methods: Only patients who satisfied Sutton diagnostic criteria were included. Clinical outcome was assessed using gross motor function, manual ability, and eating and drinking ability classification systems. Brain imaging studies and statistical analysis were reviewed.
Results: Patients presented early-onset epilepsy, which evolved into drug-resistant seizures. AIC has a variable clinical course, leading to permanent disability in most cases; nevertheless, some cases presented residual motor abilities. Chorioretinal lacunae were present in 86.56% of our patients. Statistical analysis revealed correlations between MRI, EEG at onset, and clinical outcome. On brain imaging, 100% of the patients displayed corpus callosum malformations, 98% cortical dysplasia and nodular heterotopias, and 96.36% intracranial cysts (with similar rates of 2b and 2d). As well as demonstrating that posterior fossa abnormalities (found in 63.63% of cases) should also be considered a common feature in AIC, our study highlighted the presence (in 76.36%) of basal ganglia dysmorphisms (never previously reported).
Conclusion: The AIC neuroradiologic phenotype consists of a complex brain malformation whose presence should be considered central to the diagnosis. Basal ganglia dysmorphisms are frequently associated. Our work underlines the importance of MRI and EEG, both for correct diagnosis and as a factor for predicting long-term outcome.
Classification Of Evidence: This study provides Class II evidence that for patients with AIC, specific MRI abnormalities and EEG at onset are associated with clinical outcomes.