Visual agnosia after treatment of a posterior fossa ependymoma in a 16-month-old girl

Virginie Kieffer-Renaux, Christine Bulteau, Jacques Grill, Christine Levy-Piebois, Dominique Couanet, Alain Pierre-Kahn, Olivier Hartmann, Chantal Kalifa

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5 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

We present the clinical observation of a 16-month-old girl treated for a posterior fossa ependymoma who experienced severe and delayed visual dysfunction. She was initially treated by surgery and conventional chemotherapy. When she relapsed at age 3 years, the salvage treatment combined high-dose chemotherapy, second surgery, and local irradiation. At age 4 years, disturbed gait and dysarthric speech appeared rapidly, and she became unable to recognize objects and people. Computed tomography revealed bilateral calcifications in the cerebellum and temporal and occipital lobes but no relapse. The neuropsychologic evaluations revealed signs of visual agnosia and marked intellectual impairment. The role of the different treatment modalities in the pathogenesis of this unusual syndrome is discussed.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)698-704
Number of pages7
JournalJournal of Child Neurology
Volume16
Issue number9
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2001
Externally publishedYes

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