Five patients with Rasmussen’s syndrome reported from the Montreal Neurological Institute had the typical findings of chronic encephalitis together with tuberous sclerosis, tumor, or vascular abnormality discovered on pathological examination of tissue removed at operation. Dual pathologies were found in 10% of the patients in the authors’ series. [1]
COMMENT. Rasmussen’s syndrome of focal seizures and progressive hemiparesis begins in early childhood, is often preceded by a minor febrile and probable viral illness, and is manifested by epilepsia partialis continua and intellectual deterioration. Short-term reduction in seizure frequency has been reported following IV immunoglobulin and long-term oral prednisolone treatments at the Montreal Neurological Institute. (See Progress in Pediatric Neurology III, 1997;p127).