ARACHNODACTYLY

Abstract

SINCE Marfan's original report in 1896,¹ approximately 325 cases of arachnodactyly have been recorded in the literature. In addition to the presence of long, thin, "spider-like" digits, various other anomalies, especially of the eye, skeleton, cardiovascular system and external ear, have been described in patients with this condition. Rados,² in 1942, summarized the distinctive malformations in 204 previously recorded cases. His data showed that about 15 per cent of the patients had been reported to have a high palate, but only 2 patients, those of Piper and Irvine-Jones³ and Zuber,⁴ had had a cleft palate. I found no additional case of arachnodactyly with cleft palate reported, although Dax (1940)⁵ described a patient with arachnodactyly who had 2 siblings with cleft palates. The infrequency of the occurrence of the combination prompts me to record the following case. REPORT OF CASE A 6 week old baby girl