Multiple congenital anomalies syndrome with myopathy in chromosome 16 abnormality.

An abnormality of chromosome 16 in an eight year-old male was associated with a multiple congenital anomalies syndrome characterized by myopathy, cataracts, blepharophimosis, microcephaly, failure to grow, profound mental retardation, moderate sensorineural hearing loss, grand mal seizures, bilateral inguinal hernia, and thoracolumbar kyphoscoliosis. Magnetic resonance imaging of the head demonstrated absence of the corpus callosum and extensive loss of brain parenchyma in the occipital regions. Chromosome analysis from peripheral blood of the patient showed a recombinant chromosome 16 [46, XY, rec (16), dup (p13.1----p13.3) del (q22----q24)]. The mother had a pericentric inversion of chromosome 16 [46, XX, inv(16) (p13.1;q22)]. Independent recombinant DNA studies have shown that the breakpoints of these chromosomal rearrangements flank the alpha-globin gene cluster locus.