[Dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumors]

The dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumors tend to occur in young patients, with partial complex partial seizures which is refractory to medical treatment. These are stable lesions, with defined histological features, specially with clinical data corroboration.

The clinical, imagiological, operative, and histopathological data of six patients with proved dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumors were reviewed. All patients had seizures with age at onset ranged from 7 to 27 years. Five lesions were located in the temporal lobe and one in the parietal lobe. Common features included cortical to subcortical location, low density in CT-scan, very low signal intensity on T1-weighted images and high signal on T2-weighted images. Calcification occurred in two lesions, and three showed contrast enhancement. Complete resection of the tumor was performed in three cases, and subtotal resection in other three cases. Pathological features included oligodendroglial-like cells, glioneural component, and few cases showed dysplastic cortical disorganization. The postoperative period of follow-up ranged from 2 to 18 months. Four patients were seizure free, two of which had subtotal resection of the lesion. The remaining two patients maintained seizures.

The clinical, imagiological and histopathological data of the six cases presented are generally compatible with those of the reports reviewed by the authors. The imagiological features are nonspecific. Surgical treatment permits histological diagnosis and epilepsy control.