AGENESIS OF THE CORPUS-CALLOSUM - A UNITED-KINGDOM SERIES OF 56 CASES

A survey of cases of agenesis of the corpus callosum was carried out t o examine its associations, utilising the British Neurological Surveil lance Unit (BNSU). Fifty six cases were reported (36 male), 37 were ad ults. Nearly two thirds had epilepsy; half of the adult cases had inte llectual impairment as estimated clinically, and a third a psychiatric disorder. Nine cases (five adults) were apparently normal neurologica lly, and may have escaped detection but for a coincidental or minor di sorder leading to neurological investigation. The BNSU is a valuable a id in the study of rare disorders but in less severe conditions, such methods of ascertainment inevitably underestimate prevalence and are p rone to selection bias towards patients with associated morbidity.