Translational advances in Sturge-Weber syndrome: Key points to consider
Avances traslacionales en el Síndrome Sturge-Weber: Puntos claves a considerar
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22258/hgh.2026.101.281Abstract
Sturge–Weber syndrome illustrates how a cutaneous lesion can anticipate a cerebral and ocular vasculopathy with significant neurocognitive impact. Although it was previously classified among the phakomatoses, it is now better understood as a sporadic somatic neurovasculopathy. Its incidence is low but consistent across population-based studies. Neuroimaging reveals perivascular calcifications, anomalous venous drainage, and atrophy; clinically, seizures, stroke-like episodes, and neurodevelopmental deficits predominate, with a low frequency of tumors.Downloads
References
Rihani HT, Dalvin LA, Hodge DO, Pulido JS. Incidence of Sturge–Weber syndrome and associated ocular involvement in Olmsted County, Minnesota, United States. Ophthalmic Genet. 2020;41(2):108–124. DOI:10.1080/13816810.2020.1731834.
Ha A, Kim SH, Baek SU, Kim JS, Yoon HJ, Kim YK. Incidence of Sturge-Weber Syndrome and Risk of Secondary Glaucoma: A Nationwide Population-based Study Using a Rare Disease Registry. Am J Ophthalmol. 2023;247:121–126. DOI:10.1016/j.ajo.2022.11.009.
Wu Y, Peng C, Huang L, Xu L, Ding X, Liu Y, et al. Somatic GNAQ R183Q mutation is located within the sclera and episclera in patients with Sturge-Weber syndrome. Br J Ophthalmol. 2022;106(7):1006–1011. DOI:10.1136/bjophthalmol-2020-317287.
Martins L, Giovani PA, Rebouças PD, Brasil DM, Haiter Neto F, Coletta RD, et al. Computational analysis for GNAQ mutations: New insights on the molecular etiology of Sturge-Weber syndrome. J Mol Graph Model. 2017;76:429–440. DOI:10.1016/j.jmgm.2017.07.011.
Randon M, Lévy-Gabriel C, Abbas R, Dendale R, Lumbroso L, Desjardins L, et al. Results of external beam radiotherapy for diffuse choroidal hemangiomas in Sturge-Weber syndrome. Eye (Lond). 2018;32(6):1067–1073. DOI: 10.1038/s41433-018-0024-4.
Farrar N, Yan DB, Johnson M. Modeling the effects of glaucoma surgery on intraocular pressure. Exp Eye Res. 2021;209: 108620. DOI: 10.1016/j.exer.2021.108620.
Alawadhi A, Poulin C. Spontaneous Resolution of Drug-Resistant Epilepsy in Patients with Sturge-Weber Syndrome. Child Neurol Open. 2022;9: 2329048X221129678. DOI:10.1177/2329048x221129678.
Thorpe J, Frelin LP, McCann M, Pardo CA, Cohen BA, Comi AM, et al. Identification of a Mosaic Activating Mutation in GNA11 in Atypical Sturge-Weber Syndrome. J Invest Dermatol. 2021;141(3):685–688. DOI:10.1016/j.jid.2020.03.978.
Yeom SE, Cohen B, Weiss CR, Montano C, Wohler E, Sobreira N, et al. Genetic testing in the evaluation of individuals with clinical diagnosis of atypical Sturge–Weber syndrome. Am J Med Genet Part A. 2023;191(4):983–994. DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.a.63106.
Galeffi F, Snellings DA, Wetzel-Strong SE, Kastelic N, Bullock J, Gallione CJ, et al. A novel somatic mutation in GNAQ in a capillary malformation provides insight into molecular pathogenesis. Angiogenesis. 2022;25(4):493–502. DOI: 10.1007/s10456-022-09841-w.
Hadjinicolaou A, Quinlan A, Liu S, Zhang B, Takeoka M, Sahin M, et al. Variation in neuroimaging and outcomes in patients with Sturge Weber syndrome Type III. Brain Dev. 2024;46(7):244–249. DOI:10.1016/j.braindev.2024.05.001.
Day AM, Hammill AM, Juhász C, Pinto AL, Roach ES, McCulloch CE, et al. Hypothesis: Presymptomatic treatment of Sturge-Weber Syndrome With Aspirin and Antiepileptic Drugs May Delay Seizure Onset. Pediatr Neurol. 2019;90:8–12. DOI:10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2018.04.009.
Li L, Ren AA, Gao S, Su YS, Yang J, Bockman J, et al. mTORC1 Inhibitor Rapamycin Inhibits Growth of Cerebral Cavernous Malformation in Adult Mice. Stroke. 2023;54(11):2906–2917. DOI:10.1161/STROKEAHA.123.044108.
Golub V, Reddy DS. Cannabidiol Therapy for Refractory Epilepsy and Seizure Disorders. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2021;1264:93–110. DOI:10.1007/978-3-030-57369-0_7.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Fabiana Medina – Diaz, Valeria Freite – Galindo, Juan Santiago Serna Trejos

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- The authors will retain their copyright and will guarantee to the journal right of first publication of their work, which will simultaneously be under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License that allows third parties to share the work whenever attribuying their author and first publication in this journal.
- The Author is able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the nonexclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the Work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), as long as there is provided in the document an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post online a pre-publication manuscript (but not the Publisher’s final formatted PDF version of the Work) in institutional repositories or on their Websites prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (see The Effect of Open Access).





