Porencephaly

Title

Summary Summary

Porencephaly is a rare condition that affects the central nervous system. People with porencephaly develop fluid-filled cysts or cavities in the brain either before or shortly after birth. The severity of the condition and the associated signs and symptoms vary significantly based on the size, location, and number of cysts. Common features include developmental delay, reduced muscle tone (hypotonia), seizures, macrocephaly (unusually large head size), spastic hemiplegia, speech problems, delayed growth, and intellectual disability. Porencephaly is usually the result of damage from infection or stroke after birth. In these cases, the condition occurs sporadically in people with no family history of the condition.^[1]^[2] There is an inherited form of the condition called familial porencephaly, which is caused by changes (mutations) in the COL4A1 or COL4A2 genes and is inherited in an autosomal dominant manner.^[3]^[4] Treatment is based on the signs and symptoms present in each person and may include physical therapy and medication for seizures.^[1]^[2]

Last updated: 3/15/2016

Symptoms Symptoms

This table lists symptoms that people with this disease may have. For most diseases, symptoms will vary from person to person. People with the same disease may not have all the symptoms listed. This information comes from a database called the Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO) . The HPO collects information on symptoms that have been described in medical resources. The HPO is updated regularly. Use the HPO ID to access more in-depth information about a symptom.

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Medical Terms	Other Names	Learn More: HPO ID
80%-99% of people have these symptoms
Porencephalic cyst	Cavity within brain	0002132
Spasticity	Involuntary muscle stiffness, contraction, or spasm	0001257
Ventriculomegaly		0002119
30%-79% of people have these symptoms
Cerebral palsy		0100021
Hemiplegia/hemiparesis	Paralysis or weakness of one side of body	0004374
Intellectual disability	Mental deficiency Mental retardation Mental retardation, nonspecific Mental-retardation [ more ]	0001249
Seizure		0001250

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Last updated: 2/1/2021

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Related Diseases Related Diseases

Related diseases are conditions that have similar signs and symptoms. A health care provider may consider these conditions in the table below when making a diagnosis. Please note that the table may not include all the possible conditions related to this disease.

Conditions with similar signs and symptoms from Orphanet
Differential diagnoses include arachnoid cyst, schizencephaly, ependymal cyst, encephalomalacia, hydranencephaly, and other COL4A1 or COL4A2 related diseases, including childhood stroke, CADASIL and retinal vasculopathy with cerebral leukodystrophy. Visit the Orphanet disease page for more information.

Research Research

Research helps us better understand diseases and can lead to advances in diagnosis and treatment. This section provides resources to help you learn about medical research and ways to get involved.

Clinical Research Resources

ClinicalTrials.gov lists trials that are related to Porencephaly. Click on the link to go to ClinicalTrials.gov to read descriptions of these studies.

Please note: Studies listed on the ClinicalTrials.gov website are listed for informational purposes only; being listed does not reflect an endorsement by GARD or the NIH. We strongly recommend that you talk with a trusted healthcare provider before choosing to participate in any clinical study.

Learn More Learn More

These resources provide more information about this condition or associated symptoms. The in-depth resources contain medical and scientific language that may be hard to understand. You may want to review these resources with a medical professional.

Where to Start

Genetics Home Reference (GHR) contains information on Porencephaly. This website is maintained by the National Library of Medicine.
The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) (NINDS) collects and disseminates research information related to neurological disorders. Click on the link to view information on this topic.
The National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) has a report for patients and families about this condition. NORD is a patient advocacy organization for individuals with rare diseases and the organizations that serve them.

In-Depth Information

The Monarch Initiative brings together data about this condition from humans and other species to help physicians and biomedical researchers. Monarch’s tools are designed to make it easier to compare the signs and symptoms (phenotypes) of different diseases and discover common features. This initiative is a collaboration between several academic institutions across the world and is funded by the National Institutes of Health. Visit the website to explore the biology of this condition.
Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) lists the subtypes and associated genes for Porencephaly in a table called Phenotypic Series. Each entry in OMIM includes a summary of related medical articles. It is meant for health care professionals and researchers. OMIM is maintained by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
Orphanet is a European reference portal for information on rare diseases and orphan drugs. Access to this database is free of charge.
PubMed is a searchable database of medical literature and lists journal articles that discuss Porencephaly. Click on the link to view a sample search on this topic.

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