Goldenhar's syndrome associated with cardiac malformations.

A case of Goldenhar's syndrome associated with cardiac malformations such as single ventricle, atresia of pulmonary artery, and patent ductus arteriosus is described. The association of cardiac malformations with Goldenhar's syndrome is very rare and suggests that it is necessary to perform a careful clinical evaluation in this syndrome whether or not additional malformations may exist in visceral organs.     

Goldenhar's syndrome

We present a report on 16 patients with Goldenhar's syndrome. The criteria we required for the diagnosis of Goldenhar's syndrome consisted of an eye abnormality (lipoma, lipodermoid, epibulbar dermoid, or upper eyelid coloboma) associated with ear, mandibular, or vertebral anomalies (two of the three). Although Treacher Collins' syndrome can be easily differentiated from Goldenhar's syndrome, the differences between Goldenhar's syndrome and hemifacial microsomia are more difficult to delineate.     

Unusual eye abnormalities associated with congenital cytomegalovirus infection

Seven children with congenital cytomegalovirus infection demonstrated a higher than expected incidence of "rare" ophthalmological abnormalities, including anophthalmia and Peters' anomaly. These data suggest that appropriate investigation for evidence of cytomegalovirus infection should be instituted in any child with congenital ocular defects.     

Cardiovascular abnormalities associated with congenital diaphragmatic hernia.

Cardiovascular abnormalities were present in 11 of 48 (23%) patients with congeital diaphragmatic hernia. Cardiac abnormalities included congenital heart disease, compression of a major vascular structure, cardiac malposition, and abnormalities in pulmonary circulation. The differential diagnosis between isolated congenital diaphragmatic hernia and coexisting cardiac abnormality may be difficult and may require echocardiographic or invasive studies. Mortality in infants with diaphragmatic hernia and cardiovascular abnormalities is 73% in contrast to 27% in those without cardiac abnormalities.     

先天性脊柱畸形合并泌尿生殖系统畸形发病情况及相关因素分析

目的 了解先天性脊柱畸形患儿中泌尿生殖系统畸形的发生率并探讨其与多种因素之间的联系.方法 选取2003年3月至2008年11月入院治疗的425例先天性脊柱畸形患儿,术前均行腹部B超了解泌尿生殖系统畸形情况、行脊柱CT了解脊柱畸形及脊柱内神经畸形、行心电图除外心脏异常,出现阳性结果行MRI及超声心动网以确诊.结果 先天性脊柱畸形患儿中泌尿生殖系统的发生率为11.8%(50/425),其发病与胎次、母亲年龄、出生地差异、脊柱畸形的分类、侧弯部位、侧弯方向以及是否合并心血管畸形、椎管内神经系统畸形均无统计学关系.泌尿生殖系统畸形的患儿出生时父亲年龄较无泌尿生殖畸形的患儿父亲年龄大(P=0.018),合并泌尿生殖系统畸形的患儿较易合并肋骨畸形(P=0.011).结论 先天性脊柱畸形患儿合并泌尿生殖系统畸形的发生率较高,需引起临床高度重视,从而给予适当处理.     

Neuropsychologic abnormalities in children with congenital central hypoventilation syndrome.

We hypothesized that intellectual, neurodevelopmental, and visual-motor tests would be able to characterize the scope and nature of central nervous system involvement in children with congenital central hypoventilation syndrome. Age-appropriate intellectual (Brazelton Neonatal Behavioral Assessment, Bayley Scales of Infant Development, Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence-Revised and Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children--Revised), neurodevelopmental (Halsted-Reitan neuropsychologic battery), and visual-motor (Beery visual-motor integration test) tests were given to 17 children with congenital central hypoventilation syndrome (age 0.1 to 14.3 years). We found a broad range in IQ and developmental quotient, from greater than the 85th percentile to less than the 5th percentile, with discrepancies noted between verbal and performance measures. Multiple asymmetries and deficiencies of motor performance, not consistently related to handedness, were also found. Significant eye-hand coordination deficits were uncommon, but general performance was well below average. Full, verbal, and performance IQs and developmental quotients greater than or equal to 70 and less than 70 were compared by chi-square analysis with other associated conditions, including hours of ventilatory support, duration of initial hospitalization, growth, pulmonary hypertension, seizures, brain atrophy, central and peripheral hearing deficits, and ophthalmologic abnormalities; no statistically significant associations were found. These results lend support to the hypothesis that congenital central hypoventilation syndrome is a diffuse central nervous system process. However, the effects of transient hypoxia and associated conditions on neurodevelopmental test results cannot be excluded with certainty.     

Congenital nephrotic syndrome associated with congenital toxoplasmosis

The authors report the case of a 1 month-old infant presenting with congenital toxoplasmosis associated with nephrotic syndrome and microscopic hematuria. Percutaneous renal biopsy showed a diffuse mild increase in mesangial cells and matrix, but immunofluorescence was negative. Electron microscopy revealed the presence of extensive fusion of foot processes. A review of the nephropathy of congenital toxoplasmosis is presented. Outcome seems to be favorable under steroid therapy. The pathophysiology of nephropathy is discussed, as well as the relationships or coincidence between congenital toxoplasmosis and nephrotic syndrome.     

A multidimensional threshold model for multiple congenital abnormalities

Analysis of the data of 2.762 infants with "unidentified" (i.e., no identified as dysmorphological entities) multiple congenital abnormalities from the Hungarian Congenital Malformation Registry, 1970-1976 showed that the majority of congenital abnormalities in newborns with multiple congenital abnormalities was not due to random combinations. The ratio of expected random combination and observed causal effect was 1: 6, 1: 225-1: 14,000 and 1: 2.10(6) in two, three, four, and five or more congenital abnormalities, respectively. Our multidimensional threshold model supposes specified liabilities for each congenital abnormality, and the correlation structure of these liabilities explains nearly all associations of congenital abnormalities in unidentified multiple congenital abnormalities. According to this hypothesis, the expected and the observed occurrences do not differ significantly either in the sum or in the various possible threefold associations of congenital abnormalities. The biological reasons for the phenomenon are being studied.