Aicardi syndrome

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Corpus callosum of the brain

Overview

Symptoms

Treatment

Prevention

Aicardi syndrome

Definition:

Aicardi syndrome is a rare genetic disorder characterized by infantile spasms (jerking), absence of the corpus callosum (the connection between the two hemispheres of the brain), mental retardation, and lesions of the retina of the eye or optic nerve.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

The cause of Aicardi syndrome is unknown at this time, but is presumed to be a genetic disorder carried on the X-chromosome in some cases and a random, sporadic mutation in others. There are less than 500 cases of Aicardi worldwide.

Review Date: 7/15/2004
Reviewed By: John Goldenring, M.D., MPH, Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital, San Diego, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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