Porencephaly Information Page
Table of Contents (click to jump to sections)
What is Porencephaly?
Is there any treatment?
What is the prognosis?
What is Porencephaly?
Porencephaly is an tremendously rare disorder of the central nervous system involving cysts or cavities in a cerebral hemisphere. The cysts or cavities are usually the remnants of destructive lesions (because of stroke or infection), but are sometimes the result of abnormal development. The disorder can occur before or after birth. Most infants show symptoms of the disorder shortly after birth. Diagnosis is usually made before age 1. Signs may include delayed growth and development, spastic hemiplegia (slight or incomplete paralysis), hypotonia (low muscle tone), seizures (often infantile spasms), and macrocephaly (large head) or microcephaly (small head). Individuals with porencephaly may have poor or absent speech development, epilepsy, hydrocephalus, spastic contractures (shrinkage or shortening of a muscle), and mental retardation.
Is there any treatment?
Treatment may include physical therapy, medication for seizure disorders, and a shunt for hydrocephalus.
What is the prognosis?
The prognosis for individuals with porencephaly varies according to the location and extent of the lesions. Some patients with this disorder may develop only minor neurological problems and have normal intelligence, while others may be severely disabled. Others may die before the second decade of life.
Return to top
|
