[Dyke-Davidoff-Masson syndrome: a report of two cases]

Dyke-Davidoff-Masson syndrome in an 8-year-old child: Report of a case

Dyke-Davidoff-Masson syndrome (DDMS) is a rare entity. Few cases have been described in the literature. It can be symptomatic or asymptomatic. The clinical signs are very varied. Imaging is the key to diagnosis. Calvarial thickening, enlargement sinus, and cerebral hemiatrophy are suggestive signs. It is a cause of cerebral hemiatrophy and epilepsy. We report the clinical and radiological signs of this syndrome through a case of an 8-year-old male child treated for epilepsy. The importance of our article is to report a case diagnosed at an early age (8 years). Most studies report cases diagnosed in adults. MRI revealed pathognomonic signs of Dyke-Davidoff-Masson syndrome.

Dyke-Davidoff-Masson Syndrome: Main clinical and radiological findings- systematic literature review

INTRODUCTION

Dyke-Davidoff-Masson syndrome (DDMS), or cerebral hemiatrophy, was first described in 1933. It is characterised by cerebral injury that causes hypoplasia in one of the cerebral hemispheres. The disease has different clinical degrees and two aetiologies: congenital and acquired. Radiological findings depend on the degree of injury and the patient's age at the time.

OBJECTIVE

To provide information on the main clinical and radiological characteristics of this disease.

METHODS

A systematic review of the PubMed, MEDLINE, and LILACS databases was conducted using only one keyword. Dyke-Davidoff-Masson syndrome. A total of 223 studies were identified, and the results are presented in tables and graphics.

RESULTS

The mean age of the patients was 19.44 (0-83 years), and the majority were male (55.32%). The most common types of epileptic seizures were generalised tonic-clonic seizures (31 cases), focal impaired awareness seizures (20 cases), focal motor seizures (13 cases), focal to bilateral tonic-clonic seizures (nine cases), and focal myoclonic seizures (one case). The main features of the disease were rapid deep tendon reflexes and extensor cutaneous-plantar tendon reflexes (30 cases - 16%), contralateral hemiparesis or hemiplegia (132 cases - 70%), gait alterations (16 cases - 9%), facial paralysis (nine cases - 5%), facial asymmetry (58 cases - 31%), limb asymmetry (20 cases - 11%), delayed developmental milestones (39 cases - 21%), intellectual disability (87 cases - 46%), and language/speech disorders (29 cases - 15%). Left hemisphere atrophy was the most prevalent.

CONCLUSION

DDMS is a rare syndrome, and several questions regarding this disease remain unanswered. This systematic review aims to elucidate the most common clinical and radiological aspects of the disease and emphasises the need for further investigation.

An unusual case of Dyke-Davidoff-Masson syndrome revealed by status epilepticus in a Malian patient

The Duke–Davidoff–Masson syndrome (DDMS) is a rare neurological condition with unknown prevalence, globally. To date, <100 cases have been reported worldwide. We report the case of an 18‐year‐old patient admitted for status epilepticus seizure, and who presented a right hemiparesis, body asymmetry, joints ankylosis, and mental retardation. Brain CT‐scan revealed left hemisphere atrophy, skull bone thickening, and hyperpneumatization of the frontal sinuses; all consistent with DDMS. Seizures improved remarkably on Levetiracetam and Valproate. This is the first report of an unusual DDMS in Mali, and the diagnosis delay highlights the challenges for the management of these diseases in resource‐limited settings.

Clinical spectrum of Dyke-Davidoff-Masson syndrome in the adult: an atypical presentation and review of literature

Dyke-Davidoff-Masson Syndrome (DDMS) is a rare condition usually diagnosed in paediatric patients with clinical features of hemiparesis, seizures, mental retardation and contralateral cerebral hemiatrophy on neuroimaging. This report follows the case of a 22-year-old man presenting with seizures and hemiatrophy and hemiparesis. On review of cases the most common neuroimaging findings were cerebral hemiatrophy (100%) followed by hemicalvarial thickening (71.4%) and hyperpneumatisation of sinuses (71.4%). Apart from our patient, all nine cases with data on epilepsy control had drug-resistant epilepsy. The onset of seizures in adulthood, block vertebra, short stature, absence of mental retardation and well-controlled epilepsy on monotherapy makes our case exceptional-even bringing to mind the possibility of a DDMS variant. This report exhaustively reviews the wide range of clinical and radiological manifestations of DDMS in the adult, thereby adding to the literature on an unusual syndrome that causes significant neurological morbidity.

Dyke-Davidoff-Masson syndrome: case report of fetal unilateral ventriculomegaly and hypoplastic left middle cerebral artery

Prenatal ultrasonographic detection of unilateral cerebral ventriculomegaly arises suspicion of pathological condition related to cerebrospinal fluid flow obstruction or cerebral parenchimal pathology. Dyke-Davidoff-Masson syndrome is a rare condition characterized by cerebral hemiatrophy, calvarial thickening, skull and facial asymmetry, contralateral hemiparesis, cognitive impairment and seizures. Congenital and acquired types are recognized and have been described, mainly in late childhood, adolescence and adult ages. We describe a female infant with prenatal diagnosis of unilateral left ventriculomegaly in which early brain MRI and contrast enhanced-MRI angiography, showed cerebral left hemiatrophy associated with reduced caliber of the left middle cerebral artery revealing the characteristic findings of the Dyke-Davidoff-Masson syndrome. Prenatal imaging, cerebral vascular anomaly responsible for the cerebral hemiatrophy and the early clinical evolution have never been described before in such a young child and complete the acquired clinical descriptions in older children. Differential diagnosis, genetic investigations, neurophysiologic assessments, short term clinical and developmental follow up are described. Dyke-Davidoff-Masson syndrome must be ruled out in differential diagnosis of fetal unilateral ventriculomegaly. Early clinical assessment, differential diagnosis and cerebral imaging including cerebral MRI angiography allow the clinicians to diagnose also in early infancy this rare condition.

Pneumosinus dilatans and hypercalcification of the falx and ligamentum petroclinoideum in myotonic dystrophy 1

OBJECTIVES

Pneumosinus dilatans (PSD) is a rare condition characterized by abnormally enlarged aerated sinuses, but normal thickness and preserved integrity of the sinus walls. PSD occurs most commonly in young men. Its etiology remains elusive but has been associated with various conditions, such as hydrocephalus, trauma, Dyke-Davidoff syndrome, meningocele, arachnoidal cyst, meningioma, neurofibromatosis 2, and neurolemmoma. PSD has not been reported in myotonic dystrophy type 1 (MD1).

CASE REPORT

We present a 43-year-old man with MD1 because of a CTG-expansion of 1333 repeats in the DMPK gene. A computed tomography scan of the cerebrum, carried out for assessment of central nervous system involvement in MD1, surprisingly demonstrated PSD. Because PSD was asymptomatic no surgical treatment was recommended to the patient. Whether PSD was a manifestation of MD1 or a mere coincidence remains elusive.

CONCLUSION

This case shows that PSD may occur together with MD1. Whether this association is causal or coincidental remains to be elucidated. It also remains speculative whether PSD contributes to the facial dysmorphism frequently present in MD1 patients. If PSD becomes symptomatic surgical intervention should be considered.