Venous angioma may be associated with epilepsy in children.
OBJECTIVE
Venous angioma (VA) is the most common congenital abnormality of the intracranial vasculature. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between VA and epilepsy and to identify the characteristics of children with VA and epilepsy.


METHODS
The records of all patients aged less than 18 years who underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at Pusan National University Hospital were retrospectively reviewed. Patients with isolated VA and patients with normal MRI were compared in terms of the prevalence of epilepsy.


RESULTS
In total, 2,385 pediatric patients who underwent brain MRI were enrolled. Isolated VA was identified in 26 patients (VA group). Among the patients with normal MRI findings, 225 age- and sex-matched patients to the VA-group were assigned to the control group. Nine patients in the VA group (9 of 26, 34.6%) and 27 patients in the control group (26 of 225, 11.5%; P<0.001) had epilepsy. In the VA group, 20 patients (76.9%) had the VA in the cerebral hemispheres, and 6 patients (23.1%) had the VA in the brainstem and cerebellum. The latter showed a higher prevalence of epilepsy (5 of 6, 83.3%) than the former (4 of 20, 20.0%; P=0.004). Among the nine patients who had epilepsy with VA, patients whose VA involved the brainstem and cerebellum showed a significantly higher frequency of abnormal Electroencephalographic findings than patients whose VA involved the cerebral hemispheres (P=0.016).


CONCLUSIONS
VA, especially in the brainstem and cerebellum, might be associated with epilepsy.
Department of Pediatrics, Pusan National University Hospital, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Busan, Korea.
Bo Ryung
BR
Kim
Department of Pediatrics, Pusan National University Children's Hospital, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Yangsan, Korea.
Yun Jin
YJ
Lee
Department of Pediatrics, Pusan National University Children's Hospital, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Yangsan, Korea.
Sang Ook
SO
Nam
Department of Pediatrics, Pusan National University Hospital, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Busan, Korea.
Kyung Hee
KH
Park
Brain stem; Central nervous system venous angioma; Cerebellum; Epilepsy