Clinicopathologic findings in agenesis of the corpus callosum of the brain are described in detail in this fascinating monograph. To 242 prior case histories the authors add analyses of their own 33 patients. Early symptoms noticeable from infancy to six years of age included seizures, mental retardation, progression in macrocephaly, personality disorders, and headaches. Bones of the skull and appendicular skeleton along with soft tissues of the brain, face, and orbit were frequently the site of malformations. Mental status ranged from normal through all forms of dementia.
Confirmed diagnosis depended upon pneumoencephalography and angiography but not electrocephalography. Characteristic changes in the lateral ventricles, third ventricle, and anterior cerebral artery contributed to the differential diagnosis particularly from cystic enlargement of the septum pellucidum.
The embryonic development, potential pathogenesis, and comparative anatomy of the great cerebral commissure are competently discussed. The pathophysiology relevant to complex visual functions is similarly presented.
The documentation