A case of Marden-Walker syndrome with Dandy-Walker malformation

Novel findings in the Marden-Walker syndrome

Reports about the Marden-Walker syndrome mainly consist of sporadic cases. We describe a 14-year-old girl with the Marden-Walker syndrome who presented with a huge scalp hematoma. The case and the corresponding images demonstrate an association with a defective hemostasis, skin hyperlaxity, and impaired wound healing.

Dandy-Walker syndrome and chromosomal abnormalities

Dandy-Walker syndrome (DWS) is a brain malformation of unknown etiology, but several reports have been published indicating that there is a causal relationship to various types of chromosomal abnormalities and malformation syndromes. In the present article, we present a bibliographical survey of several previously issued reports on chromosomal abnormalities associated with DWS, including our case of DWS found in trisomy 18. There are various types of chromosomal abnormalities associated with DWS; most of them are reported in chromosome 3, 9, 13 and 18. We also summarize some other chromosomal abnormalities and various congenital malformation syndromes.

Additional case of Marden-Walker syndrome: support for the autosomal-recessive inheritance adn refinement of phenotype in a surviving patient

In this report, we present a 14-year-old girl, born to consanguineous parents, who presented with severe mental retardation, hypotonia, short stature, and congenital joint contractures. The craniofacial features were scaphocephaly, thin/long and immobile face, marked hypoplasia of the midface, temporal narrowness, blepharophimosis, palpebral ptosis, and strabismus. The combination of such a distinctive craniofacial appearance and psychomotor retardation allows us to recognize a new case of the Marden-Walker syndrome. Our patient represents one of the rare cases in which consanguineous mating supports the autosomal-recessive pattern of inheritance of this condition. Furthermore, through refining the phenotype of a surviving patient, this report may contribute to a better recognition of this disorder in older affected children.