Bilateral Operculum Syndrome in Childhood

Abstract

We describe 3 patients with bilateral operculum syndrome. They presented with various degrees of suprabulbar (pseudobulbar) signs in addition to delay in cognitive, motor, and speech development in 2 children and developmental language disorder in the third one. A patient with schizencephaly in the left perisylvian area and contralateral polymicrogyria had spastic hemiparesis on the right side, whereas another patient showed bilateral underdevelopment of the opercula in association with axial hypotonia and spastic diplegia. Both of them had epileptiform discharges on the electroencephalogram without clinical manifestations of seizures. The magnetic resonance imaging of the third child with developmental language disorder was normal; however, his electroencephalogram showed frequent bilateral subclinical centrotemporal epileptiform discharges, probably responsible for the speech delay. Structural or functional involvement of the opercula bilaterally was a common finding in all the 3 patients and they had symptoms similar to those described in the developmental type of Foix-Chavany-Marie and Worster-Drought syndromes.

Keywords

operculum schizencephaly perisylvian polymicrogyria opercular underdevelopment benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal (Rolandic) spikes developmental language disorder suprabulbar (pseudobulbar) paresis

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