BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to emphasize the clinical and imaging 
findings of 19 child cases of cerebral hemiatrophy.
METHODS: A total of 11 male and eight female patients underwent assessment with 
computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. The patients ranged from 1 
to 17 years in age. The evaluated parameters were: location of the lesions, 
midline structural shift effect, ipsilateral calvarial and parenchymal changes.
RESULTS: Left cerebral hemiatrophy was seen in 14 of the cases while right 
cerebral hemiatrophy was observed in five cases. Unilateral calvarial thickening 
was seen in 11 cases, hyperpneumatization of paranasal sinuses in five, and 
hypoplasia of the middle frontal cranial fossa in three patients. Cerebral 
peduncle atrophy was noted in seven cases. In total, 11 patients had thalamic 
atrophy and lentiform nucleus hypoplasia. In one case, cerebral hemiatrophy was 
associated with ipsilateral large schizencephalic cleft and absence of the 
septum pellucidum, whereas in another case, there was diffuse cerebellar atrophy 
associated with cerebral hemiatrophy.
CONCLUSION: Computed tomography and, in particular, magnetic resonance imaging 
are the procedures of choice with respect to assessment of the etiology and 
extent of cerebral parenchymal involvement in cerebral hemiatrophy.