Temporal epilepsy associated with hippocampal focal cortical dysplasia.

BACKGROUND

Focal cortical dysplasia (FCD) is a congenital abnormality of the cerebral cortex and a common cause of epilepsy. However, FCD in the hippocampus is rare.

CASE DESCRIPTION: A 30-year-old woman was admitted to the hospital because of seizures. Brain magnetic resonance imaging showed focal cortical thickening of the right medial temporal lobe cortex. The patient underwent a right-sided anteromedial temporal lobectomy. Pathologic examination showed disorganized cortical gray matter tissue with large dysmorphic cortical neurons, supporting a FCD diagnosis. The histological findings of hippocampal sclerosis were not found.

CONCLUSION

The present case is a rare case of dysmorphic neurons without histological findings of sclerosis in the hippocampus reported. Recognizing more hippocampal FCD-related epilepsy cases is essential to better understanding the condition.