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Thanatophoric dysplasia

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

Overview

Overview

Thanatophoric dysplasia is a severe inherited skeletal disorder characterized by extremely short limbs and folds of extra skin on the arms and legs.

Symptoms

Symptoms

Infants with this condition have disproportionately short arms and legs with extra folds of skin. Other signs of the disorder include a narrow chest, small ribs, underdeveloped lungs, and an enlarged head with a large forehead and prominent, wide-spaced eyes.

Subtypes

Infants with type 1 thanatophoric dysplasia also have curved thigh bones and flattened bones of the spine (platyspondyly).

An unusual head shape called craniosynostosis (“cloverleaf skull”) is seen with type 2 thanatophoric dysplasia.

Prognosis

Prognosis

The term thanatophoric is Greek for “death bearing”. Infants with this condition are usually stillborn or die shortly after birth from respiratory failure; however, some children have survived into childhood with significant medical help. These children are severely mentally handicapped due to a variety of brain abnormalities and have difficulty breathing on their own.

Incidence/Prevalence

Incidence/Prevalence

This condition affects about 1 in 60,000 birth.

Diagnosis

Diagnosis

Patient #1

Patient #2

Patient #3:Cloverleaf skull

See also

See also

References

References

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External links



fi:Tanatoforinen dysplasia de:Thanatophore Dysplasie

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