Case report: two patients with oculocerebrocutaneous syndrome and terminal digital amputations

Delleman-Oorthuys syndrome (oculocerebrocutaneous syndrome) in a Nigerian child: a case report

Background:

Delleman–Oorthuys syndrome, also known as oculocerebrocutaneous syndrome, is a rare congenital anomaly with ocular, cerebral and cutaneous manifestations. So far, only 40 cases have been described.

Clinical case:

A 3-year-old female Nigerian child with no identifiable left eyeball, multiple left-sided facial skin defects and delayed developmental milestones but otherwise uneventful medical and family history was evaluated at the Ophthalmology and Paediatric Neurosurgery in Ibadan, Nigeria. Besides the mentioned defects that were present since birth, brain imaging revealed several brain abnormalities including intracranial cysts. Global hyperreflexia and bilateral flexor plantar response were observed upon clinical examination. Left micro-ophthalmia and orbital mass were detected. A histological assessment of the orbital mass revealed it to be rudimentary ocular tissue. The diagnosis of Delleman–Oorthuys syndrome was made based on the clinico-radiological features. The patient underwent a left-sided posterior fossa cystoperitoneal shunt. The left orbital mass was enuclated and the patient is currently awaiting left eyelid reconstruction and an orbital implant and repair of the left alar nasi cleft.

Conclusion:

To our knowledge, this is the first published report of Delleman–Oorthuys syndrome in a female child of West African descent. Given the variable manifestations of Delleman–Oorthuys syndrome, and overlap with other syndromes, the Delleman–Oorthuys syndrome may be underreported. Neuroimaging of patients with cutaneous tags, orbital cysts and micro-ophthalmia could reveal more cases.

Ossifying Fibroma in a Patient With Oculocerebrocutaneous (Delleman) Syndrome

Delleman syndrome is a rare neurocutaneous disorder characterized by congenital anomalies affecting the eye, skin, and central nervous system. This disorder was first raised as a distinct syndromic entity by Delleman and Oorthuys in 1981 under the term "oculocerebrocutaneous syndrome" (OCCS). Since then, fewer than 40 cases have been reported. All cases have been sporadic, and no patient with an abnormal karyotype has been reported. Although the etiology is still unknown, several theories have been advanced. Most of the tissues affected by OCCS are neural crest derivatives, with a striking homogeneity of the tissues and regions involved. It is this recurring craniofacial pattern of OCCS that lends support to the hypothesis that the most probable pathogenesis is a neurocristopathy that interferes with craniofacial morphogenesis. Ossifying fibroma is a destructive, potentially deforming, benign tumor that can occur almost anywhere in the facial skeletion. Some cases of ossifying fibroma have occurred in patientswith underlying neurocutaneous syndromes such as neurofibromatosis, Sturge-Weber syndrome, and encephalocraniocutaneous lipomatosis (ECCL). We report a patient with OCCS who presented with an ossifying fibroma. This has not been reported previously and is noteworthy in that it might be part of a wider phenotypic spectrum of the less common manifestations associated with OCCS.