title: Schizencephaly-diagnostics and clinical dilemmas.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Schizencephaly is an uncommon congenital disorder of cerebral cortical development. The defect is characterized by the presence of a cleft in the brain extending from the surface of the pia mater to the cerebral ventricles. The margins of the cleft are lined with heterotropic, dysplastic gray matter. The causes of schizencephaly are heterogeneous and can include teratogens, prenatal infection, maternal trauma, or EMX2 mutations.
  
  
  METHODS
  In the present paper, the authors described difficulties in employing diagnostic imaging in differentiating between type II (open-lip) schizencephaly and much more common intracranial fluid spaces of a different origin (arachnoid cysts and hydrocephalus).
  
  
  RESULTS
  In all the three cases, the treatment consisted in implantation of a shunt system; nevertheless, it should be emphasized that a surgical intervention in the third presented case (type II schizencephaly) aimed at relieving the symptoms of intracranial hypertension-a directly life-threatening condition-since shunting is not a method of treating schizencephaly itself.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although proper interpretation of the character of intracranial fluid spaces is of significance for further therapeutic management, yet, the key decision as to the surgical intervention is made based on clinical presentation, predominantly on symptoms of intracranial hypertension.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Polish-American Institute of Pediatrics/Jagiellonian University, 265 Wielicka St., 30-663, Kraków, Poland, agatahalabuda@gazeta.pl.
authors.forename: Agata
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Halabuda
authors.forename: Lukasz
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Klasa
authors.forename: Stanislaw
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kwiatkowski
authors.forename: Lukasz
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wyrobek
authors.forename: Olga
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Milczarek
authors.forename: Aleksandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gergont
mesh_terms: D002557:Cerebrospinal Fluid Shunts; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D065707:Schizencephaly / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed