Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40604834›Full record

Observational studyOrphanet journal of rare diseases2025

Sturge Weber syndrome in a multinational pediatric cohort: a systematic analysis of different types.

Sigrid Disse, Georgia Ramantani, Hanna Küpper, Annette Bock, Georg-Christoph Korenke, Birgit Weidner, Martin Preisel, Regina Trollmann, Adelheid Wiemer-Kruel, Sven Wellmann and 3 more

Abstract readObservational Study
In one paragraph

Observational study in Orphanet journal of rare diseases, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Sigrid DisseUniversity Children's Hospital Regensburg (KUNO) - Hospital St. Hedwig of the Order of St. John, University of Regensburg, Linik St. Hedwig, Steinmetzstraße 1-3, 93049, Regensburg, Germany. sigdisse@gmx.de.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5586-1957
Georgia RamantaniDepartment of Neuropaediatrics, University Children's Hospital Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.
Hanna KüpperUniversity Children's Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
Annette BockUniversity Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany.
Georg-Christoph KorenkeDepartment of Neuropaediatrics, University Children's Hospital, Klinikum Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany.
Birgit WeidnerPaediatric Practice, Cottbus, Germany.
Martin PreiselUniversity Hospital Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria.
Regina TrollmannPaediatric Neurology, University Children's Hospital, Erlangen, Germany.
Adelheid Wiemer-KruelPaediatric Epilepsy Center Kehl-Kork, Kork, Germany.
Sven WellmannUniversity Children's Hospital Regensburg (KUNO) - Hospital St. Hedwig of the Order of St. John, University of Regensburg, Linik St. Hedwig, Steinmetzstraße 1-3, 93049, Regensburg, Germany.
Knut BrockmannUniversity Medical Center Göttingen and German Center for Child and Adolescent Health (DZKJ), Göttingen, Germany.
Simone SchroederUniversity Medical Center Göttingen and German Center for Child and Adolescent Health (DZKJ), Göttingen, Germany.
Sascha MeyerFranz-Lust Klinik Für Kinder Und Jugendliche, Karlsruhe, Germany.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundSturge-Weber Syndrome (SWS) is characterized by leptomeningeal capillary malformation (CM), glaucoma, and facial vascular birthmark. The Roach Scale differentiates between cases with facial birthmark (Roach Type I) versus isolated brain involvement (Type III). Most previous studies have focussed on classic SWS Type I, but Type III cases were mostly described in case reports. We systematically compare cases with and without facial birthmark, with a focus on epilepsy variables, cerebral involvement and overall outcome.

methodsUsing a cross-sectional observational study conducted through a well-established child neurologists' network, we recruited pediatric patients with clinically diagnosed SWS from Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. The patients' guardians and attending child neurologists filled in detailed questionnaires. All patients were classified according to the Roach classification by both attending child neurologists and the study team.

resultsOur study identified 47 pediatric SWS patients (participation rate 43.2%). 35 cases (74.5%) fulfilled the criteria for classic SWS; six cases (12.8%) showed no skin involvement, the remaining cases were overlap/atypical phacomatoses with leptomeningeal and facial CM. Male/female ratio was 1.14, age ranged between 115 days and 17 years. Cases without facial birthmark were older at diagnosis (p = 0.005), and none showed ophthalmologic involvement. Comparison of age at first seizure did not reach significance after adjustment (p = 0.026). There was no significant difference between SWS types with regard to seizure types or frequency number of antiseizure medication (ASM), epilepsy surgery, cerebral involvement, SWS neuroscores. Multivariable analysis showed that, seizure frequency was independent of SWS type and epilepsy surgery, but was positively associated with the number of ASM required for seizure control (p = 0.0056). 50% of operated patients were seizure-free at study inclusion.

conclusionsType I and Type III SWS cases showed comparable profiles with regard to different epilepsy features, SWS neuroscores and number of used ASM. Type III patients were older at diagnosis and showed no ophthalmologic involvement, compatible with a milder SWS phenotype. Only few patients were evaluated for surgery, despite uncontrolled, structural epilepsy. Larger cohorts are needed to reevaluate the effectiveness of surgical therapies in different SWS types.

Indexed as

Sturge-Weber SyndromeAdolescentChildChild, PreschoolCohort StudiesCross-Sectional StudiesEpilepsyFemaleHumansInfantInfant, NewbornMaleFacial portwine birthmarkObservational studyPhacomatosisRoach classificationSturge-Weber Syndrome

Identifiers

PMID40604834
PMCPMC12225184

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.