Objective: To present an interesting case of gelastic seizures in a child who had an underlying brain lesion. Clinical Presentation and Intervention: A 10-year-old boy presented with recurrent episodes of uncontrollable laughter since the age of 6 years. Computed tomography showed a well-defined mass in the region of suprasellar and interpeduncular cisterns. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a lesion, most likely a hamartoma, arising from the region of tuber cinerium. The lesion was subsequently resected and a marked improvement in the frequency and intensity of seizures was noted. Conclusion: This report shows that neuroimaging should be performed on patients with gelastic seizures to exclude any underlying structural lesion of causal significance.

Keywords:
Hysteric laughter, Gelastic seizures, Magnetic resonance imaging, Hamartoma, Tuber cinerium, Hypothalamus
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© 2005 S. Karger AG, Basel
2005
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