Tumoral lesions in partial drug-resistant childhood epilepsy.

This report concerns the histopathological findings in 230 consecutive surg ical specimens of patients with partial drug-resistant epilepsy. Six main p athological groups were identified corresponding to 74 tumors, 56 developme ntal lesions, 47 Ammon's horn sclerosis, II glial or gliomesodermal scars, and 4 Rasmussen's encephalitis. In 14 patients, 2 distinct abnormalities we re observed with Ammon's horn sclerosis as arte part of the dual pathology. Among tumoral lesions which accounted for approximately one-third of patie nts, 35 dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial turners, 21 gangliogliomas, 5 sube pendymal giant cell astrocytomas of tuberous sclerosis, 4 pleomorphic xanth oastrocytomas, 4 astrocytomas (1 pilocytic), 3 astroblastomas, 1 oligodendr oglioma and I epidermoid cyst were observed. All tumors were of low histopa thological grade (WHO, 1993 grade I or grade II). In our experience, tumora l pathology of childhood with intractable epilepsy was not significantly di fferent of pathological features observed in adult patients. Our findings a lso emphasize that dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumors and gangliogliom as were the most common tumors encountered in partial drug-resistant epilep sy.