Abstract
Schizencephaly is an extremely rare developmental birth defect characterized by abnormal slits or clefts in the cerebral hemispheres extending from the lateral ventricle to the cerebral cortex. The margins of the cleft are lined with heterotropic, dysplastic gray matter. The causes of schizencephaly are heterogeneous and include teratogens, prenatal infarction/infections, maternal trauma, or EMX2 mutations. This condition is present at birth and manifests early in life.