Affiliations: Department of Neurología, Hospital de
Niños Prof. Dr. Juan P. Garrahan. Buenos Aires, Argentina | Department of Neurología. Hospital de
Niños Humberto Notti. Mendoza, Argentina | Department of Neurofisiología, Hospital de
Niños Prof. Dr. Juan P. Garrahan. Buenos Aires, Argentina
Note: [] Correspondence: Roberto Caraballo, M.D., Servicio de
Neurología, Hospital de Pediatria "Prof. Dr. Juan P. Garrahan", Combate
de los Pozos 1881. CP 1245, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Tel./Fax: +541149436116;
E-mail: rcaraballo@janssen.com.ar
Abstract: A 4-month-old female infant presented with paroxysmal clonic or
tonic hemifacial contractions. Afterward, she sometimes had clonic hemibody
contractions. Nystagmoid eyeball movements were also occasionally seen. These
evolved to stereotypic clinical patterns and frequencies, despite
administration of antiepileptic drugs. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a
mass in the right cerebellar hemisphere, involving the right middle peduncles
and effacing the fourth ventricles. Video-scalp electroencephalogram monitoring
revealed a left fronto-temporal irregular spike slow wave that at times
propagated to the contralateral hemisphere. The lesion was removed and
pathologic diagnosis was ganglioneurocytoma. Postoperatively, the infant did
not present any new seizures but she died eight days after surgery due to
severe duodenal hemorrhage. We suggest that cerebellar ganglioneurocytoma may
cause epileptic hemifacial seizures of subcortical origin as was previously
described.
