Split-cord malformation in a girl with Angelman syndrome: a mere coincidence?

A Cross-Sectional Assessment of Cutaneous Lumbosacral and Coccygeal Physical Examination Findings in a Healthy Newborn Population

Objective. The purpose of this study is to describe the range and frequency of cutaneous lumbosacral and coccygeal findings encountered during the newborn examination in a population of apparently healthy babies, to determine if the prevalence of these findings is associated with race/ethnicity, and to report the frequency of co-occurrence of low-risk cutaneous findings. Methods. Lumbosacral physical findings of 1121 infants were documented on well newborns at least 35 weeks or greater gestational age under the authors’ care. The overall frequency of each physical finding was tabulated in addition to determining whether frequencies varied by race/ethnicity. Co-occurrence of the most common physical findings was also examined. Results. Of 1096 infants included in the study, 24.8% had deviated or duplicated gluteal creases, 15.6% had dimples, and 24.7% had lumbosacral and/or coccygeal hairiness. All racial/ethnic groups had double to quadruple the risk of lumbosacral hair when compared with Caucasians. A total of 44.1% of study infants had lumbosacral/coccygeal slate-grey patches, which were least common in Caucasians. Seven infants had coccygeal skin tags, and 14 infants had lumbosacral vascular macules. Thirty-one percent had more than 1 cutaneous lumbosacral finding present, 24.8% had 2 findings, and 6.2% had 3 or more findings. Conclusion. Coccygeal dimples, increased lumbosacral and/or coccygeal hair, deviations and/or duplications of the gluteal crease, and lumbosacral slate-grey patches are common in healthy newborns and vary by race/ethnicity. Eleven percent of study infants had 2 or more low-risk cutaneous findings excluding slate-grey patches. Distinction between low-risk and common versus high-risk findings is important when deciding which patients need further evaluation.

Split cord malformation types I and II: a personal series of 131 patients

PURPOSE

A personal series of 131 patients with split cord malformation (SCM) operated on is presented.

METHODS

Age, gender, symptoms and signs, radiological and operative findings, complications, associated anomalies, outcome, and pathological specimens were analyzed.

RESULTS

There were 88 girls (73 %) and 43 boys (27 %). The female predominance was slightly more remarkable in type I SCMs than in type II SCMs. The presenting symptoms can be summarized as skin lesions, spina bifida aperta, scoliosis or kyphoscoliosis, sphincter disturbance, foot deformities and weakness, and/or atrophy in the lower extremities. The ages of patients with neurological deficits and orthopedic deformities were significantly older than those without deficits (P = 0.030). The duration of symptoms was longer in the patients with neurological deficits and orthopedic deformities than that in those without deficits (P = 0.00095). In six patients, composite SCMs were present. Only one patient with a type II SCM did not have an associated spinal cord lesion. A type I SCM was more frequently encountered in patients with spina bifida (P < 0.0005). Transient postoperative complications were seen in 29 patients (22 %). There was no permanent complication. Retethered cord syndrome developed in five patients with a type I SCM.

CONCLUSIONS

The risk of neurological and orthopedic deficits increases with the age of the patient. The risk of permanent deficit after surgery is very low. The whole spine must be examined for additional lesions. All patients should be surgically treated when diagnosed, especially before the development of orthopedic and neurological manifestations, and all associated lesions should also be treated at the same session.

Development and maturation of the spinal cord: implications of molecular and genetic defects

The human central nervous system (CNS) may be the most complex structure in the universe. Its development and appropriate specification into phenotypically and spatially distinct neural subpopulations involves a precisely orchestrated response, with thousands of transcriptional regulators combining with epigenetic controls and specific temporal cues in perfect synchrony. Understandably, our insight into the sophisticated molecular mechanisms which underlie spinal cord development are as yet limited. Even less is known about abnormalities of this process - putative genetic and molecular causes of well-described defects have only begun to emerge in recent years. Nonetheless, modern scientific techniques are beginning to demonstrate common patterns and principles amid the tremendous complexity of spinal cord development and maldevelopment. These advances are important, given that developmental anomalies of the spinal cord are an important cause of mortality and morbidity (Sadler, 2000); it is hoped that research advances will lead to better methods to detect, treat, and prevent these lesions.

Clinical and genetic aspects of Angelman syndrome

Angelman syndrome is characterized by severe developmental delay, speech impairment, gait ataxia and/or tremulousness of the limbs, and a unique behavioral phenotype that includes happy demeanor and excessive laughter. Microcephaly and seizures are common. Developmental delays are first noted at 3 to 6 months age, but the unique clinical features of the syndrome do not become manifest until after age 1 year. Management includes treatment of gastrointestinal symptoms, use of antiepileptic drugs for seizures, and provision of physical, occupational, and speech therapy with an emphasis on nonverbal methods of communication. The diagnosis rests on a combination of clinical criteria and molecular and/or cytogenetic testing. Analysis of parent-specific DNA methylation imprints in the 15q11.2-q13 chromosome region detects approximately 78% of individuals with lack of maternal contribution. Less than 1% of individuals have a visible chromosome rearrangement. UBE3A sequence analysis detects mutations in an additional 11% of individuals. The remaining 10% of individuals with classic phenotypic features of Angelman syndrome have a presently unidentified genetic mechanism and thus are not amenable to diagnostic testing. The risk to sibs of a proband depends on the genetic mechanism of the loss of the maternally contributed Angelman syndrome/Prader-Willi syndrome region: typically <1% for probands with a deletion or uniparental disomy; as high as 50% for probands with an imprinting defect or a mutation of UBE3A. Members of the mother's extended family are also at increased risk when an imprinting defect or a UBE3A mutation is present. Chromosome rearrangements may be inherited or de novo. Prenatal testing is possible for certain genetic mechanisms.

Abnormal myelination in Angelman syndrome

Patients with Angelman syndrome (OMIM # 105830) are generally thought to have normal brain imaging studies except for occasional minor cerebral atrophy. We report 9 patients with genetically proven Angelman syndrome, who were examined by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) between the ages of 7.5 months and 5 years. MRI in the 5 patients examined during infancy revealed myelination delay and a deficit of white matter. Retarded and/or abnormal myelination in Angelman syndrome seems to be a common finding that may be diagnostically misleading. This is particularly important in the evaluation of infants with possible Angelman syndrome, who present with nonspecific clinical features and have not yet developed the characteristic behavioural, language, and movement abnormalities.

Angelman syndrome 2005: updated consensus for diagnostic criteria

In 1995, a consensus statement was published for the purpose of summarizing the salient clinical features of Angelman syndrome (AS) to assist the clinician in making a timely and accurate diagnosis. Considering the scientific advances made in the last 10 years, it is necessary now to review the validity of the original consensus criteria. As in the original consensus project, the methodology used for this review was to convene a group of scientists and clinicians, with experience in AS, to develop a concise consensus statement, supported by scientific publications where appropriate. It is hoped that this revised consensus document will facilitate further clinical study of individuals with proven AS, and assist in the evaluation of those who appear to have clinical features of AS but have normal laboratory diagnostic testing.

The behavioural phenotype of Angelman syndrome

BACKGROUND

The purpose of this review is to examine the notion of a behavioural phenotype for Angelman syndrome and identify methodological and conceptual influences on the accepted presentation.

METHODS

Studies examining the behavioural characteristics associated with Angelman syndrome are reviewed and methodology is described.

RESULTS

Potential bias in the description of the phenotype emerges with the use of case and cohort studies with the absence of comparison groups. A trend in the literature from a direct gene effect to a socially mediated effect on laughter is evident.

CONCLUSION

Evidence for a behavioural phenotype of Angelman syndrome has begun to emerge. However, by adopting the concept of a 'behavioural phenotype', attention may become biased towards the underlying biological basis of the syndrome, with developmental and environmental factors being overlooked.

Thelarche variant in a girl with Angelman syndrome

A case of Angelman syndrome (AS) with thelarche variant in a 4.5-year-old girl is presented. Clinical suspicion of AS was raised at the age of 15 months when she presented with mental retardation and epilepsy, absence of speech, ataxic gait with jerky movements, hyperactivity and paroxysmal episodes of laughter. Moreover, she had facial dysmorphic features such as microbrachycephaly, mid-facial hypoplasia, macrostomia and prominent mandible. Dinucleotide repeat polymorphism (DNRP) analysis, identified absence of maternal alleles at D15S543, D15S113 and GABRB3 loci, findings consistent with AS. Studies on CYP19 locus (outside the 15q11-13 region) revealed the presence of two different alleles, thus excluding the possibility of paternal isodisomy of chromosome 15 in this patient. Breast development at the age of 4.5 years, accompanied by accelerated growth velocity and bone age suggested the diagnosis of variant thelarche. This is the second case of AS with sexual precocity reported and whether this combination is a coincidence or not remains to be clarified.