Edema Neonatal

I (L. Yevtushok, M.D.) see two images of a dysmorphic face (facies). This is the same infant illustrating a vanishing congenital edema. The facies illustrates dysmorphic proportions. Most striking is an under-developed osseous nose. The nasal bridge is low which falsely suggests occular hypertelorism. The clinical diagnosis is hypothetical and the facies suggests the need to perform confirmatory cytogenetic analysis. This baby died a few months later due to severe cardiac malformations. The hypothetical clinical diagnosis is not mentioned here in order not to bias the viewer’s capacity to see the rest of dysmorphic facial signs. The fact that we present this as a dysmorphic facies implies that in addition to nasal there are other dysmorphic signs. The hypothetical clinical diagnosis was confirmed by the results of chromosomal analysis.

For answers to the above dilemma, please see a clinical gallery and also see a perspective in brief).