MRI FINDINGS IN A NEONATE WITH CEREBELLAR AGENESIS

Cerebellar agenesis is a rarely observed malformation that is frequent ly associated with other defects. We describe a neonate with an isolat ed cerebellar agenesis, In addition to the absence of recognizable cer ebellar tissue, cranial magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated a hypo plastic base of the pens and absence of the normal outline of the infe rior olives. Other major cerebral malformations were not found. As a d evelopmental defect, cerebellar agenesis is heterogeneous because it o ccurs either as an anatomically isolated anomaly or as part of a more complex cerebral malformation. The pathogenesis and molecular basis of isolated cerebellar agenesis is unknown. (C) 1998 by Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.