Schizencephaly is an uncommon congenital malformation of the central
nervous system which affects the development of the cerebral cortex. It is
defined as the gray matter lined filled cleft with cerebrospinal fluid that
extends from the pial surface to the ventricle. There exists a paucity in
scientific literature regarding the association between schizencephaly and
psychosis. We report a case of a 36-year-old male, presented with worsening
crisis of aggression, disorganized behavior and auditory hallucinations over
20 years. CT brain scan revealed unilateral left open lip schizencephaly, a
finding during his recent admission to the psychiatry ward.
Schizencephaly is a very rare congenital birth defect. It is characterized by a cortical brain malformation that manifests as a grey-matter-lined cleft extending from the ependyma to the pia mater. It is a rare condition, and few cases have been reported in the literature. The exact cause is unknown. Herein, we report a case of an infant presenting with left side hemiparesis. The CT scan of her brain revealed right fronto-temporal and left parieto-temporal open-lip schizencephaly; thus, urgent referral to a pediatric neurologist was made for early intervention.