A very rare syndrome with characteristics of the combination of hypertelorism, cleft lip and palate and microtia. Nine cases have been reported in the literature in seven families. Some patients have associated cardiac or renal congenital malformations. Short stature and intellectual deficiency are common. The reported cases support autosomal recessive inheritance.

Baller-Gerold syndrome (BGS) can be suspected at birth in an infant with craniosynostosis and upper limb abnormality. The coronal suture is most commonly affected; the metopic, lambdoid, and sagittal sutures may also be involved alone or in combination. Upper limb abnormality can include a combination of thumb hypo- or aplasia and radial hypo- or aplasia and may be asymmetric. Malformation or absence of carpal or metacarpal bones has also been described. Skin lesions may appear anytime within the first few years after birth, typically beginning with erythema of the face and extremities and evolving into poikiloderma. Slow growth is apparent in infancy with eventual height and length typically at 4 SD below the mean.

3-Hydroxyisobutyryl-CoA hydrolase deficiency (HIBCHD) is an autosomal recessive inborn error of metabolism characterized by severely delayed psychomotor development, neurodegeneration, increased lactic acid, and brain lesions in the basal ganglia (summary by Ferdinandusse et al., 2013).

The term '3MC syndrome' encompasses 4 rare autosomal recessive disorders that were previously designated the Carnevale, Mingarelli, Malpuech, and Michels syndromes, respectively. The main features of these syndromes are facial dysmorphism that includes hypertelorism, blepharophimosis, blepharoptosis, and highly arched eyebrows, which are present in 70 to 95% of cases. Cleft lip and palate, postnatal growth deficiency, cognitive impairment, and hearing loss are also consistent findings, occurring in 40 to 68% of cases. Craniosynostosis, radioulnar synostosis, and genital and vesicorenal anomalies occur in 20 to 30% of cases. Rare features include anterior chamber defects, cardiac anomalies, caudal appendage, umbilical hernia (omphalocele), and diastasis recti (summary by Rooryck et al., 2011). For a discussion of genetic heterogeneity of 3MC syndrome, see 3MC1 (257920).

The Verloes-David-Pfeiffer mesomelia-synostoses syndrome is an autosomal dominant form of mesomelic dysplasia comprising typical acral synostoses combined with ptosis, hypertelorism, palatal abnormality, congenital heart disease, and ureteral anomalies (summary by Isidor et al., 2009). Mesomelia and synostoses are also cardinal features of the Kantaputra type of mesomelic dysplasia (156232).

Fanconi anemia (FA) is characterized by physical abnormalities, bone marrow failure, and increased risk for malignancy. Physical abnormalities, present in approximately 75% of affected individuals, include one or more of the following: short stature, abnormal skin pigmentation, skeletal malformations of the upper and/or lower limbs, microcephaly, and ophthalmic and genitourinary tract anomalies. Progressive bone marrow failure with pancytopenia typically presents in the first decade, often initially with thrombocytopenia or leukopenia. The incidence of acute myeloid leukemia is 13% by age 50 years. Solid tumors – particularly of the head and neck, skin, and genitourinary tract – are more common in individuals with FA.

VACTERL describes a constellation of congenital anomalies, including vertebral anomalies, anal atresia, congenital cardiac disease, tracheoesophageal fistula, renal anomalies, radial dysplasia, and other limb defects; see 192350. Cases of familial VACTERL with hydrocephalus (H) have been reported with suggestion of autosomal recessive or X-linked inheritance (see 314390). Other patients thought to have VACTERL-H, including 2 unrelated infants reported by Porteous et al. (1992), had been found to have Fanconi anemia (see 227650). Porteous et al. (1992) suggested that chromosomal breakage studies should be performed in all cases of VACTERL/VACTERL-H to rule out Fanconi anemia. Alter et al. (2007) noted that a VATER phenotype had been reported in Fanconi anemia of complementation groups A (227650), C (227645), D1 (605724), E (600901), F (603467), and G (614082). X-linked VACTERL-H is also associated with mutations in the FANCB gene (300515).

Blomstrand chondrodysplasia is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by short limbs, polyhydramnios, hydrops fetalis, facial anomalies, increased bone density, and advanced skeletal maturation (summary by Loshkajian et al., 1997).

Acropectorovertebral dysgenesis, or F syndrome, is an autosomal dominant skeletal dysplasia characterized by carpal and tarsal synostoses, syndactyly between the first and second fingers, hypodactyly and polydactyly of feet, and abnormalities of the sternum and spine (summary by Thiele et al., 2004).

This syndrome has characteristics of holoprosencephaly, predominantly radial limb deficiency (absent thumbs, phocomelia), heart defects, kidney malformations and absence of gallbladder. It has been described in two families (with at least seven affected persons). Variable manifestations include vertebral anomalies, cleft lip/palate, microphthalmia, absent nose, dysplastic ears, hearing loss, colobomas of the iris and retina and/or bifid uvula. Inheritance is likely to be autosomal dominant with variable expressivity.

VACTERL is an acronym for vertebral anomalies (similar to those of spondylocostal dysplasia), anal atresia, cardiac malformations, tracheoesophageal fistula, renal anomalies (urethral atresia with hydronephrosis), and limb anomalies (hexadactyly, humeral hypoplasia, radial aplasia, and proximally placed thumb; see 192350). Some patients may have hydrocephalus, which is referred to as VACTERL-H (Briard et al., 1984).

Sacral agenesis with vertebral anomalies (SAVA) is an autosomal recessive syndrome comprising sacral agenesis, abnormal ossification of the vertebral bodies, and a persistent notochordal canal spanning the complete vertebral column (Postma et al., 2014).

Microcephaly, short stature, and impaired glucose metabolism-2 (MSSGM2) is an autosomal recessive syndrome characterized by microcephaly associated with impaired intellectual development, and short stature. Patients develop diabetes in the second or third decade of life, and hypothyroidism and delayed puberty have also been reported (Abdulkarim et al., 2015; Kernohan et al., 2015). For a discussion of genetic heterogeneity of microcephaly, short stature, and impaired glucose metabolism, see MSSGM1 (616033).

Palatal anomalies-widely spaced teeth-facial dysmorphism-developmental delay syndrome is a rare, genetic multiple congenital anomalies/dysmorphic syndrome characterized by global developmental delay, axial hypotonia, palate abnormalities (including cleft palate and/or high and narrow palate), dysmorphic facial features (including prominent forehead, hypertelorism, downslanting palpebral fissures, wide nasal bridge, thin lips and widely spaced teeth), and short stature. Additional manifestations may include digital anomalies (such as brachydactyly, clinodactyly, and hypoplastic toenails), a single palmar crease, lower limb hypertonia, joint hypermobility, as well as ocular and urogenital anomalies.

VATER is a mnemonically useful acronym for the nonrandom association of vertebral defects (V), anal atresia (A), tracheoesophageal fistula with esophageal atresia (TE), and radial or renal dysplasia (R). This combination of associated defects was pointed out by Quan and Smith (1972). Nearly all cases have been sporadic. VACTERL is an acronym for an expanded definition of the association that includes cardiac malformations (C) and limb anomalies (L). The VACTERL association is a spectrum of various combinations of its 6 components, which can be a manifestation of several recognized disorders rather than a distinct anatomic or etiologic entity (Khoury et al., 1983). Also see VATER/VACTERL association with hydrocephalus (VACTERL-H; 276950) and VACTERL with or without hydrocephalus (VACTERLX; 314390).

Neurodevelopmental disorder with nonspecific brain abnormalities is a highly variable syndrome characterized by impaired intellectual development and behavioral abnormalities associated with structural changes on brain imaging. Some patients have seizures, hypotonia, and scoliosis/kyphosis. Cognitive function ranges from severely impaired to the ability to attend schools with special assistance (summary by Fischer-Zirnsak et al., 2019).

Hoxha-Aliu syndrome (HXAL) is characterized by mildly impaired intellectual development and digital anomalies of the hands and feet (Hoxha and Aliu, 2023; Guo et al., 2023). Biallelic missense mutations in the ERI1 gene have been reported to cause a more severe bone disorder, spondyloepimetaphyseal dysplasia, Guo-Campeau type (SEMDGC; 620663).