Natural history of 39 patients with Achondroplasia.

OBJECTIVES: To characterize the natural history of 39 achondroplastic patients diagnosed by clinical, radiological and molecular assessments. METHODS: Observational and retrospective study of 39 patients who were attended at a public tertiary level hospital between 1995 and 2016. RESULTS: Diagnosis was made prenatally in 11 patients, at birth in 9 patients and within the first year of life in 13 patients. The most prevalent clinical findings were short stature, high forehead, trident hands, genu varum and macrocephaly. The most prevalent radiographic findings were rhizomelic shortening of the long bones and narrowing of the interpediculate distance of the caudal spine. There was motor developmental delay in 18 patients and speech delay in 16 patients. The most common clinical intercurrences were middle ear dysfunction, sleep apnea, limb pain and obesity from 2 to 9 years of age. One patient was large for the gestational age but did not develop obesity. One patient developed hydrocephalus at 10 years old. The current age of the patients varies from 15 months to 36 years. The molecular study performed by Sanger sequencing of the common heterozygous mutation 1138G>A in FGFR3 was positive in all patients. Four cases were inherited, and 35 were sporadic (paternal age from 19 to 66 years). CONCLUSIONS: The diagnoses were made early based on clinical and radiographic findings. All cases were confirmed molecularly. Despite presenting a benign course, it is necessary to establish a systematic protocol for the surveillance of these patients due to the common clinical intercurrences.

Williams Syndrome: development of a new scoring system for clinical diagnosis.

OBJECTIVE: To develop a scoring system based on clinical findings to assist pediatricians in the diagnosis of William syndrome and to delineate when the fluorescent in-situ hybridization test to detect the microdeletion at 7q11.23 may be needed. METHODS: The fluorescent in-situ hybridization test was performed on 20 patients presenting William syndrome suggestive clinical features. Eleven studies were selected from the literature in which there were 2 groups: patients with positive or negative fluorescent in-situ hybridization tests. Forty-two clinical characteristics were compared to those reported in the literature to determine which ones were associated with the affected patients (ie, bearing deletions) using meta-analysis. The 2-tailed Fisher exact test were used so that the frequency of findings observed in fluorescent in-situ hybridization positive and fluorescent in-situ hybridization negative patients could be compared in the present study together with the patients from the literature. We developed a scoring system based on clinical findings and their significant associations with patients with positive fluorescent in-situ hybridization tests. From the mean and standard-deviation values of the data from our patients, we determined the cut-off score that that indicated the need for a fluorescent in-situ hybridization test to confirm diagnosis. RESULTS: Seventeen patients were fluorescent in-situ hybridization positive, and 3 were fluorescent in-situ hybridization negative. The more discriminative findings among fluorescent in-situ hybridization positive patients were the following: typical facies, low birth weight, feeding difficulties, constipation, supravalvar aortic stenosis, mental retardation, and friendly personality. The distribution of the points among the 20 patients ranged from 19 to 28 points with a mean value of 23.3 out of a possible total of 31 points. The cut-off score that indicated the need for a fluorescent in-situ hybridization test was 20. CONCLUSIONS: Our scoring system enables physicians to differentiate between those individuals who can be reliably diagnosed as having Williams syndrome solely from the clinical findings and those who need to undergo fluorescent in-situ hybridization testing for a correct diagnosis.

Friedreich's ataxia: cardiac evaluation of 25 patients with clinical diagnosis and literature review.

OBJECTIVE: Cardiac evaluation (clinical, electrocardiographic and echocardiographic) of 25 Brazilian patients with clinical diagnosis of Friedreich's ataxia (FA) related to the frequency and the size of GAA repeats (unstable expansion of trinucleotide repeats that results in the disease). METHODS: Clinical and cardiac study including electrocardiogram and echocardiogram of all patients and molecular analysis to detect the frequency and the size of GAA expansion, by polymerase chain reaction analysis. RESULTS: Homozygous GAA expansion was detected in 17 patients (68%) - all typical cases. In 8 (32%) cases (6 atypical and 2 typical), no GAA expansion was observed, therefore it was not considered Friedreich's ataxia. All patients with GAA expansion (100%) had electrocardiographic abnormalities, and only 25% of the cases without GAA expansion had some abnormality on this exam. However, only 6% of all patients revealed some signals/symptoms suggestive of cardiac involvement. CONCLUSION: A molecular analysis is essential to confirm the diagnosis of Friedreich's ataxia; however, an adequate cardiac evaluation, including an electrocardiogram, was extremely useful to better screening the patients which should perform these molecular analysis.

Williams-Beuren syndrome: cardiovascular abnormalities in 20 patients diagnosed with fluorescence in situ hybridization.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the cardiovascular findings and clinical follow-up of patients with Williams-Beuren syndrome. METHODS: We studied 20 patients (11 males, mean age at diagnosis: 5.9 years old), assessed for cardiovascular abnormalities with electrocardiography and Doppler echocardiography. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) was used to confirm the diagnosis of the syndrome. RESULTS: Elastin gene locus microdeletion was detected in 17 patients (85%) (positive FISH), and in 3 patients deletion was not detected (negative FISH). Sixteen patients with a positive FISH (94%) had congenital cardiovascular disease (mean age at diagnosis: 2,3 years old). We observed isolated (2/16) supravalvular aortic stenosis and supravalvular aortic stenosis associated (11/16) with pulmonary artery stenosis (4/11); mitral valve prolapse (3/11); bicuspid aortic valve (3/11); aortic coarctation (2/11), thickened pulmonary valve (2/11); pulmonary valvular stenosis (1/11); supravalvular pulmonary stenosis (1/11); valvular aortic stenosis (1/11); fixed subaortic stenosis (1/11); pulmonary artery stenosis (2/16) associated with pulmonary valvar stenosis (1/2) and with mitral valve prolapse (1/2); and isolated mitral valve prolapse (1/16). Four patients with severe supravalvular aortic stenosis underwent surgery (mean age: 5.7 years old), and 2 patients had normal pressure gradients (mean follow-up: 8.4 years). CONCLUSION: A detailed cardiac evaluation must be performed in all patients with Williams-Beuren syndrome due to the high frequency of cardiovascular abnormalities.

Natural history of 39 patients with Achondroplasia

OBJECTIVES: To characterize the natural history of 39 achondroplastic patients diagnosed by clinical, radiological and molecular assessments. METHODS: Observational and retrospective study of 39 patients who were attended at a public tertiary level hospital between 1995 and 2016. RESULTS: Diagnosis was made prenatally in 11 patients, at birth in 9 patients and within the first year of life in 13 patients. The most prevalent clinical findings were short stature, high forehead, trident hands, genu varum and macrocephaly. The most prevalent radiographic findings were rhizomelic shortening of the long bones and narrowing of the interpediculate distance of the caudal spine. There was motor developmental delay in 18 patients and speech delay in 16 patients. The most common clinical intercurrences were middle ear dysfunction, sleep apnea, limb pain and obesity from 2 to 9 years of age. One patient was large for the gestational age but did not develop obesity. One patient developed hydrocephalus at 10 years old. The current age of the patients varies from 15 months to 36 years. The molecular study performed by Sanger sequencing of the common heterozygous mutation 1138G>A in FGFR3 was positive in all patients. Four cases were inherited, and 35 were sporadic (paternal age from 19 to 66 years). CONCLUSIONS: The diagnoses were made early based on clinical and radiographic findings. All cases were confirmed molecularly. Despite presenting a benign course, it is necessary to establish a systematic protocol for the surveillance of these patients due to the common clinical intercurrences.

Renal and urinary findings in 20 patients with Williams-Beuren syndrome diagnosed by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH).

PURPOSE: Williams-Beuren syndrome is a rare multiple anomalies/mental retardation syndrome caused by deletion of contiguous genes at chromosome region 7q11.23. The aim of this work was to determine the frequency and the types of renal and urinary tract anomalies in 20 patients with Williams-Beuren syndrome. METHODS: The fluorescence in situ hybridization test using a LSI Williams syndrome region DNA probe was performed for all 20 patients to confirm the diagnosis of Williams-Beuren syndrome. A prospective study was performed in order to investigate renal and urinary aspects using laboratory assays to check renal function, ultrasonography of the kidneys and urinary tract, voiding cystourethrogram and urodynamics. RESULTS: Deletion of the elastin gene (positive fluorescence in situ hybridization test) was found in 17 out of 20 patients. Renal alterations were diagnosed in 5 of 17 (29%) the patients with the deletion and in 1 of 3 patients without the deletion. Fourteen patients with the deletion presented dysfunctional voiding. Arterial hypertension was diagnosed in 3 patients with deletions and 1 of these presented bilateral stenosis of the renal arteries. CONCLUSIONS: Due to the high incidence of renal and urinary abnormalities in Williams-Beuren syndrome, performing a systematic laboratory and sonographic evaluation of the patients is recommended.

Williams Syndrome: development of a new scoring system for clinical diagnosis

OBJECTIVE: To develop a scoring system based on clinical findings to assist pediatricians in the diagnosis of William syndrome and to delineate when the fluorescent in-situ hybridization test to detect the microdeletion at 7q11.23 may be needed. METHODS: The fluorescent in-situ hybridization test was performed on 20 patients presenting William syndrome suggestive clinical features. Eleven studies were selected from the literature in which there were 2 groups: patients with positive or negative fluorescent in-situ hybridization tests. Forty-two clinical characteristics were compared to those reported in the literature to determine which ones were associated with the affected patients (ie, bearing deletions) using meta-analysis. The 2-tailed Fisher exact test were used so that the frequency of findings observed in fluorescent in-situ hybridization positive and fluorescent in-situ hybridization negative patients could be compared in the present study together with the patients from the literature. We developed a scoring system based on clinical findings and their significant associations with patients with positive fluorescent in-situ hybridization tests. From themean and standard-deviation values of the data from our patients, we determined the cut-off score that that indicated the need for a fluorescent in-situ hybridization test to confirm diagnosis. RESULTS: Seventeen patients were fluorescent in-situ hybridization positive, and 3 were fluorescent in-situ hybridization negative. The more discriminative findings among fluorescent in-situ hybridization positive patients were the following: typical facies, low birth weight, feeding difficulties, constipation, supravalvar aortic stenosis, mental retardation, and friendly personality. The distribution of the points among the 20 patients ranged from 19 to 28 points with a mean value of 23.3 out of a possible total of 31 points. The cut-off score that indicated the need for a fluorescent in-situ...

OBJETIVOS: Desenvolver um sistema de pontuação (Score) baseado nos achados clínicos para auxiliar os pediatras no diagnóstico clínico da Síndrome de Williams-Beuren e na indicação do teste de hibridização in situ por fluorescência para detectar a microdeleção em 7q11.23. MÉTODOS: O teste de hibridização in situ por fluorescência foi feito em 20 acometidos pela Síndrome de Williams-Beuren, nos quais 42 achados clínicos foram estudados. Para estabelecer quais desses achados estariam associados ao teste de hibridização in situ por fluorescência positivo, realizou-se uma metanálise com 11 trabalhos da literatura em que havia dois grupos, hibridização in situ por fluorescência positivo e negativo. As freqüências dos achados presentes nos indivíduos fluorescência positivo e fluorescência negativo neste estudo foram comparadas em conjunto com os pacientes da literatura através do teste exato de Fisher. Elaboramos um sistema de pontuação (score) baseado nos achados que mostraram correlação significante (p<0,001) para os pacientes hibridização in situ por fluorescência positivo. Determinamos os valores correspondentes aos percentis baseados na média e desvio-padrão, calculados a partir dos 20 pacientes do presente trabalho. RESULTADOS: Dezessete pacientes foram hibridização in situ por fluorescência positivo e três, negativo. Os achados mais discriminativos nos hibridização in situ por fluorescência positivo (3 pontos no score) foram: fáceis típico, baixo peso ao nascimento, dificuldades alimentares, obstipação, estenose aórtica supravalvar, deficiência mental e personalidade amigável.A distribuição dos valores entre os 20 pacientes variou de 19 a 28 pontos com uma média de 23,3 pontos. CONCLUSÕES: O score elaborado permitiu propor o valor de 20 pontos para a indicação do teste de hibridização in situ por fluorescência nos pacientes com suspeita clínica de Síndrome de Williams-Beuren.

Renal and urinary findings in 20 patients with Williams-Beuren syndrome diagnosed by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH)

OBJETIVO: A síndrome de Williams-Beuren é uma rara síndrome de deleção de genes contíguos que cursa com múltiplas anomalias congênitas, deficiência mental e anomalias renais e urinárias. O objetivo deste trabalho foi determinar a freqüência e os tipos de anomalias renais e urinárias em 20 pacientes com síndrome de Williams-Beuren diagnosticados pelo teste de hibridização in situ por fluorescência. MÉTODOS: Estudou-se prospectivamente os aspectos renais e urinários através de avaliação laboratorial da função renal, ultrassonografia de rins e vias urinárias, uretrocistografia miccional e estudo urodinâmico. O teste da hibridização in situ por fluorescência com a sonda LSI Williams Region foi feito nos 20 pacientes com síndrome de Williams-Beuren para a confirmação do diagnóstico. RESULTADOS E DISCUSSÃO: A deleção do gene da elastina (teste de hibridização in situ por fluorescência positivo) foi detectado em 17/20 afetados (85%). As alterações renais foram diagnosticadas em 5/17 (29%) dos pacientes com a deleção e em 1/3 dos indivíduos sem a deleção. Catorze pacientes com a deleção apresentavam disfunções miccionais. A hipertensão arterial foi diagnosticada em três pacientes com a deleção e um deles apresentava estenose bilateral das artérias renais. CONCLUSÕES: Devido à elevada incidência de anormalidades renais e do trato urinário na síndrome de Williams-Beuren, recomenda-se realizar uma avaliação laboratorial e de imagem sistematizada nos pacientes.

Ataxia de Friedreich. Avaliação cardiáca de 24 pacientes com diagnóstico clínico e revisão da literatura / Friedreich's ataxia. Cardiac evaluation of 25 patients with clinical diagnosis and literature review

OBJECTIVE - Cardiac evaluation (clinical, electrocardiographic and echocardiographic) of 25 Brazilian patients with clinical diagnosis of Friedreich's ataxia (FA) related to the frequency and the size of GAA repeats (unstable expansion of trinucleotide repeats that results in the disease). METHODS - Clinical and cardiac study including electrocardiogram and echocardiogram of all patients and molecular analysis to detect the frequency and the size of GAA expansion, by polymerase chain reaction analysis. RESULTS - Homozygous GAA expansion was detected in 17 patients (68 percent) -- all typical cases. In 8 (32 percent) cases (6 atypical and 2 typical), no GAA expansion was observed, therefore it was not considered Friedreich's ataxia. All patients with GAA expansion (100 percent) had electrocardiographic abnormalities, and only 25 percent of the cases without GAA expansion had some abnormality on this exam. However, only 6 percent of all patients revealed some signals/symptoms suggestive of cardiac involvement. CONCLUSION - A molecular analysis is essential to confirm the diagnosis of Friedreich's ataxia; however, an adequate cardiac evaluation, including an electrocardiogram, was extremely useful to better screening the patients which should perform these molecular analysis

Anomalias músculo-esqueléticas na síndrome de Williams-Beuren. Descrição de 20 crianças e adolescentes utilizando-se o teste de hidridização in situ por fluorescência (FISH) / Musculoskeletal anomalies in Williams-Beuren syndrome. Description of 20 children and adolescents utilizing the fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis

A síndrome de Williams-Beuren (SWB) é uma síndrome de deleção de genes contíguos, caracterizada por fácies típico, anomalias oculares, cardiopatia congênita, deficiência mental, personalidade amigável, anomalias renais e esqueléticas. A causa da SWB é uma deleção submicroscópica no lócus do gene da elastina, localizada em 7q11.23, detectável pelo teste de Hibridização In Situ por Fluorescência (FISH) em 90% a 95% dos afetados. As anomalias músculo-esqueléticas características da SWB são hipermobilidade articular na lactância, contraturas articulares, limitação à supinação do antebraço com ou sem sinostose rádioulnar e pregas extra-sacrais. Outras anomalias freqüentes incluem escoliose, cifose e lordose acentuada. Objetivo: Descrever as manifestações clínicas e radiológicas em 20 pacientes com SWB e correlacioná-las com o teste de FISH. Métodos: Realizamos uma avaliação clínica e radiológica prospectiva em 20 afetados (11M:9F) pela SWB com média de idade de 9,5 anos (5 – 17 anos). Resultados: Dezessete (85%) pacientes apresentavam a deleção (FISH positivo). As seguintes anomalias foram observadas somente nos pacientes FISH positivo: contraturas articulares (18%), limitação à supinação dos antebraços (24%), sinostose rádio-ulnar (13%) e pregas extra-sacrais (71%). A fisioterapia foi indicada, em todos os pacientes, para as contraturas articulares que tendem a piorar com a idade. Conclusões: Devido a uma alta incidência de anomalias músculo-esqueléticas em pacientes com a SWB, recomendamos uma avaliação clínica das articulações e radiografia completa do esqueleto para todas as crianças afetadas na ocasião do diagnóstico.

Síndrome de Williams-Beuren: anomalias cardiovasculares em 20 pacientes diagnosticados pela hibridazação in situ por fluorescência / Williams-Beuren syndrome: cardiovascular abnormalities in 20 patients diagnosed with fluorescence in situ hybridization

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the cardiovascular findings and clinical follow-up of patients with Williams-Beuren syndrome. METHODS: We studied 20 patients (11 males, mean age at diagnosis: 5.9 years old), assessed for cardiovascular abnormalities with electrocardiography and Doppler echocardiography. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) was used to confirm the diagnosis of the syndrome. RESULTS: Elastin gene locus microdeletion was detected in 17 patients (85 percent) (positive FISH), and in 3 patients deletion was not detected (negative FISH). Sixteen patients with a positive FISH (94 percent) had congenital cardiovascular disease (mean age at diagnosis: 2,3 years old). We observed isolated (2/16) supravalvular aortic stenosis and supravalvular aortic stenosis associated (11/16) with pulmonary artery stenosis (4/11); mitral valve prolapse (3/11); bicuspid aortic valve (3/11); aortic coarctation (2/11), thickened pulmonary valve (2/11); pulmonary valvular stenosis (1/11); supravalvular pulmonary stenosis (1/11); valvular aortic stenosis (1/11); fixed subaortic stenosis (1/11); pulmonary artery stenosis (2/16) associated with pulmonary valvar stenosis (1/2) and with mitral valve prolapse (1/2); and isolated mitral valve prolapse (1/16). Four patients with severe supravalvular aortic stenosis underwent surgery (mean age: 5.7 years old), and 2 patients had normal pressure gradients (mean follow-up: 8.4 years). CONCLUSION: A detailed cardiac evaluation must be performed in all patients with Williams-Beuren syndrome due to the high frequency of cardiovascular abnormalities

Sindrome de Williams / Williams's syndrome

Os autores apresentam a Sindrome de Williams comentando os aspectos geneticos, os criterios diagnosticos, os achados clinicos, o prognostico e o diagnostico diferencial.

Sindrome alcoolica fetal: relato de tres irmaos afetados / Fetal alcohol syndrome: report of 3 affected brothers

Os autors relatam o caso de tres irmaos que apresentam dismorfismo facial e acometimento neurologico caracteristicos da sindrome alcoolica fetal.

Estudo genetico-clinico de 20 pacientes com trissomia 13 (sindrome de Patau) / Clinical and genetic study of 20 pacients with trisomy 13 (Pataus syndrome)

A trissomia 13 e a terceira trissomia autossomica mais frequente entre os nativivos. Os pacientes afetados apresentam malformacoes multiplas, atraso grave de crescimento e desenvolvimento e prognostico reservado. Objetivos: caracterizar os aspectos clinicos e citogeneticos de 20 pacientes...

Historia natural de 24 pacientes com trissomia 18 (sindrome de Edwards) e de 20 pacientes com trissomia 13 (sindrome de Patau) / Natural history of 24 patients with trisomy 18 (Edwards syndrome) and 20 patients with trisomy 13 (Pataus syndrome)

As trissomias 18 e 13 constituem a segunda e a terceira trissomia autossomica mais frequentes entre os nativivos. Os pacientes afetados cursam com multiplas malformacoes, atraso grave de crescimento e desenvolvimento e prognostico...

Malformacoes congenitas em filhos de maes diabeticas: relato de casos / Congenital malformation in infants of diabetic mothers: case reports

Muitos estudos tem confirmado que as malformacoes congenitas sao mais frequentes em filhos de maes diabeticas. As anomalias do sistema nervoso central, do coracao, do esqueleto, do trato gastrointestinal e do trato urinario sao predominantes. Um mau controle metabolico e a gravidade do diabetes estao correlacionados com a alta incidencia de anomalias congenitas. O controle da glicemia no periodo pre-concepcional e nas primeiras semanas de gestacao e crucial para reduzir os riscos de aborto e de malformacoes congenitas

Anormalidades oculares em 20 pacientes com sindrome de Willians-Beuren / Ocular abnormalidades in 20 patients with Williams-Beuren syndrome

Objetivo: alertar pediatras, geneticistas e oftalmologistas para os aspectos oftalmologicos observados na sindrome de Williams-Beuren (SWB). Casuistica e metodos: realizou-se avaliacao...

Uso da análise de Fish para diagnóstico em 11 pacientes com síndrome de Williams-Beuren / Use of Fish analysis to diagnosis approach of 11 Brazilian patients with Williams-Beuren syndrome

A síndrome de Williams-Beuren (SWB) é uma rara síndrome de deleçäo de genes contíguos que feta múltiplos sistemas. A doença é causada por uma deleçäo submicroscópica na regiäo 7q11.23, que é detectada pela análise de Fish em 90-95 por cento dos pacientes. Relatamos o estudo clínico e a análise citogenética por Fish realizados em 11 pacientes (6M:5F), todos esporádicos. Fácies típicos de "duende", atraso de desenvolvimento/retardo mental, anomalias dentárias e esqueléticas estavam presentes em todos os pacientes; anomalias oculares em dez (91 por cento); cardiopatias congênitas em oito (73 por cento), sendo metade, estenose supravalvar aórtica; baixa estatura em seis (54 por cento); hipercalcemia transitória em quatro (36 por cento); hérnia inguinal em três (27 por cento) e anomalias renais em dois (18 por cento). Analisanmos a hemizigosidade do gene da elastina por Fish, utilizando a sonda LSI Williams Syndrome Region DNA Fish (Vysis) nas células interfásicas e metafásicas. O paciente sem deleçäo apreentava fácies e comportamento tópico, exceto cardiopatia. A análise pelo Fish do locus da elastina é um teste útil para confirmaçäo diagnóstica da SWB, o que auxilia no seguimento clínico adequado e na prevençäo das complicaçöes

Displasia cleidocraniana - relato de caso de revisäo da literatura / Cleidocranial dysplasia - a case and review of the literature

Resumo: A displasia cleidocraniana é doença rara de herança autossômica dominante, caracterizada por atraso no fechamento das fontenelas, hipoplasia ou aplasia das clavículas, permitindo uma facilidade anormal na aproximaçäo dos ombros, anomalias dentárias e malformaçöes vertebrais. Os autores estudaram um adolescente, de 13 anos de idade, com caracteristicas clínicas e radiológicas típicas dessa condiçâo.