Aplasia cutis congenita (ACC) is defined as congenital localized absence of skin. The skin appears as a thin, transparent membrane through which the underlying structures are visible. The location is usually on the scalp (Evers et al., 1995). Approximately 20 to 30% of cases have underlying osseous involvement (Elliott and Teebi, 1997). Autosomal dominant inheritance is most common, but recessive inheritance has also been reported. Cutaneous aplasia of the scalp vertex also occurs in Johanson-Blizzard syndrome (243800) and Adams-Oliver syndrome (AOS; 100300). A defect in the scalp is sometimes found in cases of trisomy 13 and in about 15% of cases of deletion of the short arm of chromosome 4, the Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome (WHS; 194190) (Hirschhorn et al., 1965; Fryns et al., 1973). Evers et al. (1995) provided a list of disorders associated with aplasia cutis congenita, classified according to etiology. They also tabulated points of particular significance in history taking and examination of patients with ACC.

An extremely rare association syndrome, described in only two brothers to date (one of which died at 2 months of age), characterized by aplasia cutis congenita of the vertex and generalized edema (as well as hypoproteinemia and lymphopenia) due to intestinal lymphangiectasia. There have been no further descriptions in the literature since 1985.

The blepharocheilodontic syndrome is a rare autosomal dominant disorder characterized by lower eyelid ectropion, upper eyelid distichiasis, euryblepharon, bilateral cleft lip and palate, and conical teeth. An additional rare manifestation is imperforate anus (summary by Weaver et al., 2010).