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A 14-year-old male presented with paresthesias on the right upper and lower extremities, headache, and vomiting. In addition to worsening paresthesia and weakness on the right side of his body, blurred vision, fever, and skin lesions developed. He also had skin lesions characterized with 3-10 mm papules with a white atrophic center surrounded by pink rim mostly on the trunk and lower extremities. Brain magnetic resonance imaging showed chronic subdural effusion and encephalomalacia of the left cerebral hemisphere. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) examination revealed increased protein levels. Electromyography was consistent with diffuse polyradiculoneuropathy. Skin biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of a rare vasculopathy: Degos disease. A case presenting with chronic subdural effusion, encephalomalacia, elevated CSF protein, and polyradiculopathy should be carefully examined for skin lesions, which may suggest the diagnosis of Degos disease.

Cerebral volumetric measurements based on magnetic resonance imaging have been established as advanced morphometric techniques with anatomic and clinical utility in adults and children with epilepsy. This study investigated the cerebral and hippocampal volumes in children with idiopathic partial epilepsy to detect the factors correlated with volume reduction. Magnetic resonance imaging volumetric measurements were performed of the total cerebral and hippocampal formation volumes in 30 patients with idiopathic partial epilepsy between 3 to 18 years old. The cerebral and the total, right, and left hippocampal volumes of the study and control patients were detected using volumetric magnetic resonance imaging, and the volumes were compared between the 2 groups. In study patients, the correlation between volumetric findings and seizure characteristics was evaluated. The results suggested that children with idiopathic partial epilepsy had significant hippocampal volume reduction that was not influenced by the age of onset and the duration of epilepsy.

Prothrombin G20210A mutation is an important prothrombotic condition for venous thrombosis. Recently, some studies have also considered it to be a risk factor for arterial ischemic stroke in children. A 10-year-old boy with basilar artery thrombosis who was heterozygous for prothrombin G20210A mutation is described. In concordance with the previous literature, the present case suggests that prothrombin G20210A mutation may be a risk factor for arterial ischemic stroke in childhood.

Schilder's myelinoclastic diffuse sclerosis is a rare sporadic demyelinating disease that usually affects children between 5 and 14 years old. The disease often mimics intracranial neoplasm or abscess. We report a 9-year-old girl with Schilder's disease who presented with left hemiparesis. Cranial computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed large lesions in the subcortical white matter of the occipital and parietal lobes of both hemispheres that were indistinguishable from an abscess. A cerebrospinal fluid oligoclonal band test was found positive. A diagnosis of acute disseminated encephalomyelitis was then suspected. Serial MRI examinations revealed regression of parenchymal lesions, but there were new developing corpus callosum lesions. After 2 months, the patient presented with right-sided visual loss. MRI examination revealed a right optic nerve lesion. The patient had a dramatic clinical response to corticosteroid therapy. Subsequent control MRI examination revealed regression of both lesions. At 24 months of observation, the patient continued to do well without any complaints or neurologic sequelae.