Acrocephalosyndactylia

Acrocephalosyndactylia (or acrocephalosyndactyly) is the common presentation of craniosynostosis and syndactyly.

Classification

It has several different types:

A related term, "acrocephalopolysyndactyly" (ACPS), refers to the inclusion of polydactyly to the presentation. It also has multiple types:

It has been suggested that the distinction between "acrocephalosyndactyly" versus "acrocephalopolysyndactyly" should be abandoned.

See also

References

External links

Apert syndrome

Apert syndrome is a form of acrocephalosyndactyly, a congenital disorder characterized by malformations of the skull, face, hands and feet. It is classified as a branchial arch syndrome, affecting the first branchial (or pharyngeal) arch, the precursor of the maxilla and mandible. Disturbances in the development of the branchial arches in fetal development create lasting and widespread effects.

In 1906, Eugène Apert, a French physician, described nine people sharing similar attributes and characteristics. Linguistically, "acro" is Greek for "peak", referring to the "peaked" head that is common in the syndrome. "Cephalo", also from Greek, is a combining form meaning "head". "Syndactyly" refers to webbing of fingers and toes.

In embryology, the hands and feet have selective cells that die, called selective cell death or apoptosis, causing separation of the digits. In the case of acrocephalosyndactyly, selective cell death does not occur and skin, and rarely bone, between the fingers and toes fuses.