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Treatment and outcome of children with cerebral cavernomas: a survey on 32 patients

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An Erratum to this article was published on 24 November 2009

Abstract

We prospectively followed-up 32 pediatric patients with cerebral cavernomas (CCs) to better define surgical indications in this population. Three groups of patients were identified: (a) children with macrohemorrhage (21 patients, 65.6%), (b) children with localized or diffuse headache (6 patients, 18.8%) and (c) children with epilepsy (5 patients, 15.6%). Surgery was performed in 28 out of the 32 (87.5%) subjects. New transient post-operative neurological deficits were observed in two children. One child developed a post-operative hematoma. At a median follow-up of 4 years (range 1–11 years), 22 out of the 28 (78.6%) operated patients were in good conditions. All operated subjects with epilepsy were seizure-free. We confirm the high risk of macrohemorrhage in pediatric CCs. Surgery is mostly recommended in accessible cavernomas, except for small, asymptomatic deep-seated CCs or for punctuate lesions without bleeding signs.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Dr. A. Capurro, G. Gaslini Children’s Hospital, Genoa, for revising English language.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurosurgery, Gaslini Children’s Hospital, Genoa, Italy

    Alessandro Consales, Gianluca Piatelli, Marcello Ravegnani, Marco Pavanello, Valeria Capra & Armando Cama

  2. Department of Muscular and Neurodegenerative Diseases, Gaslini Children’s Hospital, Genoa, Italy

    Pasquale Striano

  3. Department of Assistance for the Disabled, National Health Service, Genoa, Italy

    Maria Luisa Zoli

  4. Department of Neuroradiology, Gaslini Children’s Hospital, Genoa, Italy

    Andrea Rossi

  5. Department of Hemato-Oncology, Gaslini Children’s Hospital, Genoa, Italy

    Maria Luisa Garrè

  6. Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Gaslini Children’s Hospital, Genoa, Italy

    Maria Grazia Calevo

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  1. Alessandro Consales
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  2. Gianluca Piatelli
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  11. Armando Cama
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Correspondence to Armando Cama.

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An erratum to this article can be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10072-009-0196-6

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Consales, A., Piatelli, G., Ravegnani, M. et al. Treatment and outcome of children with cerebral cavernomas: a survey on 32 patients. Neurol Sci 31, 117–123 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-009-0157-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-009-0157-0

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