Co-existence of cavernoma and cortical dysplasia in temporal lobe epilepsy

Cavernomas and cortical dysplasia are well-known causes of partial epilepsy. The association between cavernoma and cortical dysplasia in an epileptic patient has not yet been sufficiently documented. We report a case of long-term, drug-resistant, partial left temporal epilepsy associated with a cavernoma. According to the neurophysiological non-invasive presurgical study, the patient was submitted to a tailored left temporal resection. The histopathological study showed the coexistence of cavernoma and cortical dysplasia. This is an interesting combination of epilepsy-related pathologies that have so far not been documented. (C) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.