[Infantile spasms associated with a brain tumor].

Background: Infantile spasms are exceptionally associated with a focal cerebral lesion such as a brain tumor.
Case Report: A 15 month-old girl was treated with hydrocortisone and valproic acid for infantile spasms that had appeared a few days earlier. Her psychomotor development was considered normal and the CT scan was normal. Clinical symptoms disappeared within 10 days and the EEG became normal except for a few epileptiform discharges in the frontal areas. The girl developed partial seizures at the age of 5 years. Imaging techniques showed a brain tumor in the right frontal lobe. Surgical excision was followed by radiation therapy. Analysis of the tumor showed an astrocytoma. The girl is normal 18 months after intervention.
Conclusion: It is difficult to determine a relationship between the infantile spasms and the brain tumor in this case. The moderately asymmetrical pattern of the EEG after infantile spasms, the fact that these spasms appeared relatively late and the persistence of discharges, lead to repeated specialized investigations.