The myriad brain abnormalities characterising tuberous sclerosis are all the result of the same pathogenetic mechanism, a genetic impairment of the germinative matrix. MR scanning plays a major role in the diagnosis and follow-up of patients who must be monitored up to the age of twenty to rule out the possible neoplastic transformation of subependymal nodules. MR scans should also be offered to the parents of children with tuberous sclerosis to disclose asymptomatic subjects. Starting from a total of 36 scans in a personal series of 24 patients, we describe the best sequences for brain investigation, the different MR findings and their changes over time with possible clinical correlations.
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