Clinical features of hereditary spastic paraplegia with thin corpus callosum: report of 5 Chinese cases / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

ABSTRACT

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Hereditary spastic paraplegia is a clinically and genetically heterogeneous group of neurodegenerative disorders of the motor system, characterized by slowly progressive spasticity and weakness of the lower extremities. This study was conducted to investigate the clinical features of hereditary spastic paraplegia with thin corpus callosum (HSP-TCC).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Clinical data from five patients and thirty-five previously published case reports of HSP-TCC were analyzed retrospectively.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Most patients were adolescents at the onset of the disease, presenting with spastic paraparesis of the lower limbs and mental impairment. Some patients also had other clinical features, including spasticity of the upper limbs, cerebellar ataxia, and sensory disturbances. Cranial MRIs of the five patients revealed an extremely thin corpus callosum, sometimes with widened cerebral sulci and ventricles, as well as with cerebellar and cerebral atrophy.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The main clinical features of HSP-TCC include slowly progressive spastic paraplegia, mental impairment during the second decade of life, and an extremely thin corpus callosum as shown on cranial MRIs.</p>