Hemimegalencephaly: involvement of cranial nerves and intracranial vessels

Abstract

Aims: Hemimegalencephaly (HME) is a rare malformation characterized by hamartomatous overgrowth limited to one cerebral hemisphere. HME may occur isolated or be associated with other syndromes. Typical neuroimaging findings in HME include enlargement of the affected cerebral hemisphere with dysplastic and thickened cortex, abnormal signal intensity of the white matter, and ventricular anomalies. We aim to evaluate the MRI findings in a large cohort of children with HME focusing on morphological anomalies of cranial nerves and intracranial vessels.