Clinical Analysis of Porencephaly

ABSTRACT

We have reviewed series of seven cases of porencephaly. The etiologic factors, the symptomatology, the location of the various lesions and the treatment have been briefly discussed. According to their etiology, we believed that case 1 was caused by circulatory disturbance due to arteriovenous malformation, case 2 by neonatal intracranial hemorrhage(subependvmal hemorrhage), case 3 by non-specific inflammation, and case 4, 5, 6 & 7 by cerebral contusion and skull defect. Three(case 1, 2 & 3) of our seven patients had convulsions, hemianopsia and hemiparesis. but the others(case 4, 5, 6 & 7) had non-specific symptoms. In seven cases, four of the cysts occurred in the left hemisphere(case 1, 2, 3 & 6) in three in the right(case 4, 5 & 7). Three of our cases had cysts in the frontal lobe(case 1, 4 & 6) two in the parietal lobe(case 3 & 7), one in parieto-occipital lobe(case 2) and one in frontoparietal lobe(case 5). CT scan had been very useful in evaluating of these cysts. In our seven patients five cases were diangosed by CT scan and in two cases the diagnosis was verified at operation. In all cases the operation was done by removal of portion of arachnoid and cortex overlying the porencephalic cysts and adequate drainage of porus into the lateral ventricle and subarachnoid space. Postoperatively three cases who had seizure have been completely relieved from convulsions.