BAND HETEROTOPIA - CORRELATION OF OUTCOME WITH MAGNETIC-RESONANCE-IMAGING PARAMETERS

The ''band heterotopia'' or ''double cortex'' is a brain anomaly that is presumed to result from a premature arrest of neuronal migration. P atients with this anomaly are reported to have a variable clinical cou rse that has been, heretofore, unpredictable. The clinical records and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging studies of 27 patients with band hete rotopia were retrospectively reviewed in an attempt to determine wheth er imaging findings are useful in predicting clinical outcome of affec ted patients. Statistical analyses revealed the following correlations : (1) severity of T2 prolongation in the brain with motor delay (P = 0 .03); (2) degree of v entricular enlargement with the age of seizure o nset (P 0.04) and with development and intelligence (P = 0.04); (3) se verity of pachygyria with the age of seizure onset (P 0.01), seizure t ype (P = 0.03), and an abnormal neurologic examination (P = 0.002); (4 ) parietal involvement with delayed speech development (P = 0.05); (5) occipital involvement with age of seizure onset (P = 0.006); (6) age of seizure onset with development and intelligence (P = 0.03) and with an abnormal neurologic examination(P = 0.04); and (7) severity of the pachygyria and thickness of band with development of symptomatic gene ralized epilepsy (P 0.002 and P = 0.02, respectively) and Lennox-Gasta ut syndrome (P = 0.002 and p = 0.01, respectively).