Dermatologic Aspects of Tuberous Sclerosis

In 1880 Bourneville¹reported the pathologic changes occurring in the brain of a 3 year old girl with epilepsy, arrested physical development, hemiplegia, idiocy and "acne rosacea and pustulosis of the face." At necropsy islets of hypertrophic sclerosis were found distributed over the cerebral hemispheres. Because of the potato-like appearance and consistency of the cortical nodules, Bourneville called the process tuberous sclerosis. Although Bourneville originally described the condition which bears his name as a pathologic entity, it is probable that the first case of tuberous sclerosis was reported by von Recklinghausen²in 1863. The latter recorded the presence of sclerotic areas in the brain and myomas of the cardiac muscle in a newly born child. In 1885 Balzer and Ménétrier³described a symmetric condition of the face consisting of flesh-colored, discrete papules, which he called adenoma sebaceum. Five years later Pringle⁴reported in a number of