OBJECTIVETo analyze the clinical manifestations and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features of lissencephaly of various types and provide clinical and imaging evidences for the clinical diagnosis of the disease.

METHODSThe clinical symptoms and signs and the findings in neurobehavioral evaluation, laboratory examination and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of 11 cases of lissencephaly were investigated retrospectively.

RESULTSThe 11 patients consisted of 4 with isolated lissencephaly sequence, 3 with Miller-Dieker syndrome, 3 with cobblestone lissencephaly, and 1 with lissencephaly with cerebellar hypoplasia. The main clinical manifestations included mental retardation, developmental delay, microcephaly, epilepsy, hearing abnormality and facial malformation. Cobblestone lissencephaly presented with congenital muscular dystrophy and eye malformation, and lissencephaly with cerebellar hypoplasia showed ataxia manifestations. In terms of MRI features, classical lissencephaly displayed absent or broad cerebral gyri, thickened cortex and reduced white matter, smooth border between the gray and white matter, and thin white matter. Cobblestone lissencephaly displayed thick cortex and gyri deficiency with cobblestone surface. Lissencephaly with cerebellar hypoplasia presented with pachygyria, cerebellar hypoplasia and hippocampal dysplasia.

CONCLUSIONLissencephaly is a developmental malformation of the brain with obvious heterogeneity, and the clinical manifestations and MRI features can be the evidences for a clinical diagnosis and classification of the disease.