PROGRESSIVE FACIAL HEMIATROPHY - MRI APPEARANCES

The cranial CT and MRI appearances of a 14-year-old girl with Parry-Ro mberg syndrome and epilepsy are described, The findings are compared w ith the two published descriptions of MRI and CT in such patients, MRI appearances in our patient differ from those published and may be con sistent with a vascular malformation, The one published report on the intracranial histopathology of a patient with Parry-Romberg syndrome a nd epilepsy states that a microscopic vascular malformation was found, We discuss the relationship between radiological and pathological fin dings, The possible aetiologies of Parry-Romberg syndrome (vascular ma lformation, immunological, trauma, sympathetic innervation, hereditary , slow virus) are discussed, We suggest that Parry-Romberg syndrome co uld be regarded as a neurocutaneous syndrome, a component of which inc ludes intracerebral vascular dysplasia, In this and the other three ca ses of Parry-Romberg syndrome with epilepsy, the sensitivity of MRI in detecting intracranial lesions is demonstrated, Recommendations for i maging these patients are proposed.