Schizencephaly

[tallenms]

My is 12 years old and had his first seizure 5 months ago.  It occurred after hitting the back of his head on a light fixture.  We were told that this was likely an isolated incident.  Three months later he had another seizure in the middle of his football game.  He went to the emergency room where we were given a prescription for Keppra and were told he would not be able to see a pediatric neurologist for two months.  Meanwhile we went to our pediatrician who ordered a MRI.  The MRI revealed a left frontoparietal closed lip schizencephaly.  I have searched all over the internet trying to get information on this condition.  Not sure what this means for his future activities.  Should I limit what he does?  Will he now be classified as having epilepsy?  He has always dreamed of being an airline pilot and I am concerned how this will affect him.

[noops01]

Hi,

I would say you are a lucky mom. The neurological disabilities depend on the size of the clefts. I think that in your son's case the clefts would be small enough not to cause any developmental delays. Also i do not think favoring left hand will regress his development. People with dominant right brain hemisphere tend to use their left hand more than right and vice versa.

[tallenms]

Up to this point he has had no developmental delays and is an extremely intelligent child.  The only problems he has experienced are the two seizures and he does favor his left hand.  Is there a possibility that this can cause him to go regress in his development?

[noops01]

Hi,

It is a rare developmental birth defect, in which abnormal slits or clefts occur in the cerebral hemisphere of the brain.It can lead to developmental delays, delays in speech development. Most children develop seizures, hydrocephalus can also occur. The prognosis would depend on size of the clefts and neurological disabilities.Please discuss all these concerns with his doctor. I wish you all the very best!