GIANT HYPOTHALAMIC HAMARTOMA - AN UNUSUAL NEONATAL TUMOR

A case of neonatal manifestation of giant hypothalamic hamartoma is re ported. It is suggested that hypothalamic hamartoma should be included in the list of neonatal intracerebral tumors. Magnetic resonance imag ing appearance similar to that of normal gray matter on T1-weighted im ages and slightly hyperintense on T2-weighted images, without enhancem ent after gadolinium injection, is suggestive of the diagnosis. Hypoth alamic hamartomas are congenital malformations, consisting of disorgan ized mature neuronal elements in proportions similar to that of normal tissue [1]. They are clinically evidenced in infants ranging from 1 t o 7 years of age [1-5]. This report describes a histologically proved giant hypothalamic hamartoma diagnosed in the neonatal period. Magneti c resonance imaging (MRI) is helpful to distinguish this congenital no n-evolutive malformation from more aggressive neonatal tumors.