We report two patients with Robinow or fetal face syndrome. We present a thirteen year follow-up on three previously published cases and a review of 32 cases in the literature. The cardinal features of this condition include mesomelic shortening of the forearms, frontal bossing, hypertelorism, wide palpebral fissures, short upturned broad nose with anteverted nares, long philtrum, small chin, brachydactyly, hypoplastic genitalia and a normal karyotype. Development delay and mental retardation was noted in 18% of the reported cases. Early death was identified in about 10% of the cases. Genetic heterogeneity is suggested with autosomal dominant inheritance reported in 8 individuals from 3 families and autosomal recessive inheritance in 8 siblings from 4 families although no clinical differences were identified among those individuals with different inheritance patterns. Male to male transmission was reported in one family. Parental age does not appear to be a factor in the cause of this syndrome.

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Robinow syndrome: report of two patients and review of literature.

Clinical and etiological heterogeneity in patients with tracheo-esophageal malformations and associated anomalies.

Asphyxiating thoracic dystrophy is an autosomal recessive disorder characterised by an abnormally small thorax, variable shortening of the extremities, and pelvic anomalies. Renal and pancreatic symptoms are found in longer survivors, although most cases die in infancy of respiratory failure. Seven neonatal cases were studied at necropsy. These cases ranged in gestational age from 32 to 40 weeks. One was stillborn and the other six survived from 1 hour to 10 days. Two were sibs born to consanguineous parents. Dwarfing was not pronounced and the extremities were shortened in only one infant who also had polydactyly. All seven showed visceral changes in addition to abnormalities of bone. Endochondral ossification was irregular in sections of femur, vertebra, and rib. Pulmonary hypoplasia was associated with the small thorax typical of this disorder. Periportal fibrosis and bile duct proliferation were seen in sections of liver, and in one case cirrhosis was found. Pancreatic fibrosis was variable. These necropsy findings correlate with later clinical manifestations of the disease and emphasise the multisystem nature of this disorder.

https://jmg.bmj.com/content/jmedgenet/22/2/112.full.pdf

Necropsy findings in neonatal asphyxiating thoracic dystrophy.

We present the characteristic features of 14 children with the recessive form of Robinow syndrome and the growth hormone (GH) response to provocation with clonidine and the serum insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) concentration in 12 of these children. The gonadotropin (luteinizing hormone [LH] and follicle-stimulating hormone [FSH]) response to gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) was evaluated in early pubertal and pubertal patients, and the testosterone response to human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) was evaluated in males. Children with Robinow syndrome, born at full-term, were short at birth (length, 41.4+/-2.1 cm) and had markedly slow growth velocity (GV) during the first year (13.1+/-2.1 cm/yr); consequently, they were significantly short at the end of the first year of life (length, 54.4+/-2.9 cm). This intrauterine and early extrauterine growth delay reflected low growth potential. During childhood, the GV standard deviation score (GVSDS) remained low (-2.17+/-0.83). Despite the presence of empty sella in all of the patients, they had an adequate GH response to clonidine provocation (peak, 19.3+/-5.8 microg/L) and a normal serum IGF-I concentration (309+/-142 ng/mL) for their age. During childhood and early adolescence, boys with Robinow syndrome had low basal testosterone and a low testosterone response to HCG stimulation (3,000 IU/m2/d intramuscularly [IM] for 3 days). However, their basal and GnRH-stimulated FSH concentrations were normal. Two girls (Tanner II breast development) had a normal serum estradiol (E2) concentration but high LH and FSH responses to GnRH stimulation. This suggested either defective feedback of E2 on the hypothalamic-pituitary axis or hyporesponsiveness of the ovaries to gonadotropin. Four weeks of HCG therapy (2,500 IU/m2 IM twice weekly) in three boys with Robinow syndrome increased the penile length and testicular volume, denoting a significant Leydig cell response to prolonged HCG stimulation and the presence of functioning androgen receptors. It is suggested that HCG and/or testosterone therapy during infancy may improve the severe micropenis in these patients.

Recessive Robinow syndrome: With emphasis on endocrine functions

Esophageal atresia (EA) is one of the most frequent congenital malformations of the gastrointestinal tract. Many genetic alterations in patients with EA have been described in the literature. It is thought that the etiology of EA is heterogeneous. This review of the literature provides detailed information about chromosomal aberrations, gene mutations, and clinical features of neonates with EA, and serves as an excellent source to compare newly diagnosed patients with those described in the literature.

Chromosome aberrations and gene mutations in patients with esophageal atresia.

Fetal face syndrome (Robinow syndrome

Asphyxiating thoracic dystrophy, also known as Jeune syndrome, is an inherited disorder of bone growth characterized by a narrow chest, short ribs, shortened bones in the arms and legs, short stature, and extra fingers and toes (polydactyly). Additional skeletal abnormalities can include unusually shaped collarbones (clavicles) and pelvic bones, and and cone-shaped ends of the long bones in the arms and legs. Many infants with this condition are born with an extremely narrow, bell-shaped chest that can restrict the growth and expansion of the lungs. Life-threatening problems with breathing result, and people with asphyxiating thoracic dystrophy may live only into infancy or early childhood. However, in people who survive beyond the first few years, the narrow chest and related breathing problems can improve with age.

Zizka J

Papers

Fetal face syndrome (Robinow syndrome

Asphyxiating thoracic dystrophy

Trisomy X in a neonate with esophageal atresia