Seckel-like Syndrome in Three Siblings

Byline: Sonya Rae Arnold (1), Diane Spicer (3), Boris Kouseff (4), Atilano Lacson (1), Enid Gilbert-Barness (1) Keywords: Key words: Seckel syndrome, bird-headed dwarfism, autosomal recessive, mental retardation, microcephaly, skeletal abnormalities Abstract: Seckel syndrome has been described as the prototype of the primordial bird-headed type of dwarfism. Since Seckel originally defined the disorder, less than 60 cases have been reported. In addition to the characteristic craniofacial dysmorphism and skeletal defects, abnormalities have been described in the cardiovascular, hematopoietic, endocrine, and central nervous systems. This pleiotropy has implied genetic heterogeneity and prompted reviews of previously reported cases of Seckel syndrome. As a result, the characteristic diagnostic features of Seckel syndrome have been highly debated. Although deletions in chromosome 2q have been described, to date, no genetic defect has been defined. We report three cases of Seckel-like syndrome in siblings from nonconsanguinous Caucasian parents. In addition to the typical Seckel phenotypic features, all three cases were characterized by severe hydrocephalus. We review the literature and propose that there is a spectrum of Seckel conditions that share some common key features, but also demonstrate a wide range of phenotypic features. Author Affiliation: (1) Department of Pathology, University of South Florida College of Medicine, 12901 Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, MDC 11, Tampa, FL 33612-4742, USA , US (2) Department of Pathology, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, 3705 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213-5283, USA , US (3) Department of Pathology, Tampa General Hospital, P.O. Box 1289, Tampa, FL 33601-1289, USA , US (4) Department of Pediatrics, Division of Genetics, University of South Florida, 10770 North 46th Street, Suite C-900, Tampa, FL 33617-3451, USA , US (5) Department of Pathology, All Children's Hospital, 801 Sixth Street South, P.O. Box 31020, Department 7020, St. Petersburg, FL 33731-8920, USA , US Article note: Received February 3, 1998 accepted July 6, 1998.