Pili (from Latin pilus, hair) torti (from Latin tortus, twisted) refers to short and brittle hairs that appear flattened and twisted when viewed through a microscope.

Bjornstad syndrome (BJS) is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by sensorineural hearing loss and pili torti. The hearing loss is congenital and of variable severity. Pili torti (twisted hairs), a condition in which the hair shafts are flattened at irregular intervals and twisted 180 degrees from the normal axis, making the hair very brittle, is usually recognized early in childhood (Selvaag, 2000).