Opercular malformations are rare and complex brain malformations for which only very fragmented neuropathological descriptions have been reported. They are related to an abnormal development of both sylvian fissure and frontoparietal operculum. We report a retrospective clinical and MRI study of 11 patients presenting with opercular malformations. A congenital pseudobulbar syndrome was observed in six cases, various motor disorders in seven cases, mental retardation in six cases and epilepsy in four cases. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the main features of opercular malformations in children and to try to characterise this entity on the basis of its clinical features and MRI pattern.