The cranium consists of three main sections including the base of the cranium (occipital bone), the face (frontal bone), and the top (parietal bones) and sides (temporal bone) of the head. Most of the bones of the cranium are permanently set into place prior to birth. However, the temporal and parietal bones are separated by sutures, which remain open, allowing the head to slightly change in shape during childbirth. The cranial sutures eventually close within the first couple of years following birth, after the brain has finished growing.

In individuals with SCS, the coronal suture separating the frontal bones from the parietal bones, closes prematurely (craniosynostosis), occasionally even before birth. If the coronal suture closes asymmetrically or unilaterally, then the face and forehead will form unevenly, from side-to-side. People with SCS have pointy, tower-like heads because their brain is growing faster than their skull, resulting in increased intracranial pressure (ICP) and causing the top of the head and/or forehead to bulge out to allow for brain growth. The face appears uneven, particularly in the areas of the eyes and cheeks, and the forehead appears wide and tall.

Because of the abnormal forehead, there is less space for the normal facial features to develop. This results in shallow eye sockets and flat cheekbones. The shallow eye sockets make the eyes more prominent or bulging and cause the eyes to be more separated than normal (hypertelorism). The underdeveloped eye sockets, cheekbones, and lower jaw cause the face to appear flat. Furthermore, the minor downward slant of the eyes along with the drooping eyelids (ptosis) adds to the overall unevenness of the face.

Individuals with SCS are all affected differently. Even within the same family, affected individuals have different features. The majority of individuals with SCS are moderately affected, with uneven facial features and a relatively flat face due to underdeveloped eye sockets, cheekbones, and lower jaw. In addition to the physical abnormalities, people with SCS also experience growth delays, which results in a relatively short stature. Although, most individuals with SCS are of normal intelligence, some individuals may have mild to moderate mental retardation (IQ from 50-70). More severe cases of SCS, with more serious facial deformities, occurs when multiple cranial sutures close prematurely.

Usually associated with diaphragmatic hernia,

pulmonary hypoplasia,

imperforate anus,

micropenis,

bilateral cryptorchidism,

cerebral ventricular dilation,

camptodactyly,

agenesis of sacrum,

low-set ear.

- Fryns et al. (1979) reported 2 stillborn sisters with a multiple congenital anomaly syndrome characterized by coarse facies with cloudy corneae, diaphragmatic defects, absence of lung lobulation, and distal limb deformities. A sporadic case was reported by Goddeeris et al. (1980). Fitch (1988) claimed that she and her colleagues were the first to describe this disorder. In 1978 they reported a single infant, born of second-cousin parents, who had absent left hemidiaphragm, hydrocephalus, arhinencephaly, and cardiovascular anomalies.

- Lubinsky et al. (1983) reported a brother and sister with Fryns syndrome who both died in the neonatal period. Facial anomalies included broad nasal bridge, microretrognathia, abnormal helices, and cleft palate. Other features included distal digital hypoplasia, lung hypoplasia, and urogenital abnormalities, including shawl scrotum, uterus bicornis, and renal cysts. They were discordant for diaphragmatic hernia, cleft lip, and Dandy–Walker anomaly.

- Meinecke and Fryns (1985) reported an affected child; consanguinity of the parents supported recessive inheritance. They noted that a diaphragmatic defect had been described in 4 of the 5 reported cases and lung hypoplasia in all. Young et al. (1986) reported a sixth case. The male infant survived for 12 days. These authors listed corneal clouding, camptodactyly with hypoplastic nails, and abnormalities of the diaphragm as cardinal features.

- Samueloff et al. (1987) described a family in which all 4 children had Fryns syndrome and neonatal mortality. Features included hypoplastic lungs, cleft palate, retrognathia, micrognathism, small thorax, diaphragmatic hernia, distal limb hypoplasia, and early onset of polyhydramnios with premature delivery. Schwyzer et al. (1987) described an affected infant whose parents were second cousins.

- Moerman et al. (1988) described infant brother and sister with the syndrome of diaphragmatic hernia, abnormal face, and distal limb anomalies. Both died shortly after birth with severe respiratory distress. Ultrasonography demonstrated fetal hydrops, diaphragmatic hernia, and striking dilatation of the cerebral ventricles in both infants. Post-mortem examination showed Dandy–Walker malformation, ventricular septal defect, and renal cystic dysplasia.

- Cunniff et al. (1990) described affected brothers and 3 other cases, bringing the total reported cases of Fryns syndrome to 25. One of the affected brothers was still alive at the age of 24 months. Bilateral diaphragmatic hernias had been repaired on the first day of life. He required extracorporeal membrane oxygenation therapy for 5 days and oscillatory therapy for 3 months. Ventriculoperitoneal shunt was required because of slowly progressive hydrocephalus. Scoliosis was associated with extranumerary vertebral bodies and 13 ribs. Because of delayed gastric emptying, a gastrostomy tube was inserted. In addition, because of persistent chylothorax, he underwent decortication of the right lung and oversewing of the thoracic duct.

- Kershisnik et al. (1991) suggested that osteochondrodysplasia is a feature of Fryns syndrome.

- Willems et al. (1991) suggested that a diaphragmatic hernia is not a necessary feature of Fryns syndrome. They described a child with all the usual features except for diaphragmatic hernia; the diaphragm was reduced to a fibrous web with little muscular component. Bartsch et al. (1995) presented 2 unrelated cases with a typical picture of Fryns syndrome but without diaphragmatic hernia. One of these patients was alive at the age of 14 months, but was severely retarded. Bamforth et al. (1987) and Hanssen et al. (1992) also described patients with this syndrome who survived the neonatal period. In the report of Hanssen et al. (1992), 2 older sibs had died in utero. The reports suggested that survival beyond the neonatal period is possible when the diaphragmatic defect and lung hypoplasia are not present. However, mental retardation has been present in all surviving patients.

- Vargas et al. (2000) reported a pair of monozygotic twins with Fryns syndrome discordant for severity of diaphragmatic defect. Both twins had macrocephaly, coarse facial appearance, hypoplasia of distal phalanges, and an extra pair of ribs. Twin A lacked an apparent diaphragmatic defect, and at 1 year of age had mild developmental delay. Twin B had a left congenital diaphragmatic hernia and died neonatally. The authors suggested that absence of diaphragmatic defect in Fryns syndrome may represent a subpopulation of more mildly affected patients.

- Aymé, "et al." (1989) described 8 cases of Fryns syndrome in France. The most frequent anomalies were diaphragmatic defects, lung hypoplasia, cleft lip and palate, cardiac defects, including septal defects and aortic arch anomalies, renal cysts, urinary tract malformations, and distal limb hypoplasia. Most patients also had hypoplastic external genitalia and anomalies of internal genitalia, including bifid or hypoplastic uterus or immature testes. The digestive tract was also often abnormal; duodenal atresia, pyloric hyperplasia, malrotation and common mesentery were present in about half of the patients. When the brain was examined, more than half were found to have Dandy–Walker anomaly and/or agenesis of the corpus callosum. A few patients demonstrated cloudy cornea. Histologically, 2 of 3 patients showed retinal dysplasia with rosettes and gliosis of the retina, thickness of the posterior capsule of the lens, and irregularities of Bowman membrane.

- Alessandri et al. (2005) reported a newborn from the Comores Islands with clinical features of Fryns syndrome without diaphragmatic hernia. They noted that diaphragmatic hernia is found in more than 80% of cases and that at least 13 other cases had been reported with an intact diaphragm.

- In a postneonatal survivor of Fryns syndrome, Riela et al. (1995) described myoclonus appearing shortly after birth, which was well controlled on valproate. Progressive cerebral and brainstem atrophy was noted on serial MRIs made at 3 months and after 6 months of age.

- Van Hove et al. (1995) described a boy with Fryns syndrome who survived to age 3 years and reviewed the outcome of other reported survivors (approximately 14% of reported cases). Survivors tended to have less frequent diaphragmatic hernia, milder lung hypoplasia, absence of complex cardiac malformation, and severe neurologic impairment. Their patient had malformations of gyration and sulcation, particularly around the central sulcus, and hypoplastic optic tracts beyond the optic chiasm associated with profound mental retardation.

- Fryns and Moerman (1998) reported a second-trimester male fetus with Fryns syndrome and midline scalp defects. The authors stated that the finding of a scalp defect in Fryns syndrome confirms that it is a true malformation syndrome with major involvement of the midline structures.

- Ramsing et al. (2000) described 2 sibships with 4 fetuses and 1 preterm baby of 31 weeks' gestation affected by a multiple congenital disorder suggestive of Fryns syndrome. In addition to the diaphragmatic defects and distal limb anomalies, they presented with fetal hydrops, cystic hygroma, and multiple pterygias. Two affected fetuses in 1 family showed severe craniofacial abnormalities with bilateral cleft lip and palate and cardiovascular malformation.

- Arnold et al. (2003) reported a male fetus with Fryns syndrome and additional abnormalities, in particular, multiple midline developmental defects including gastroschisis, central nervous system defects with left arrhinencephaly and cerebellar hypoplasia, midline cleft of the upper lip, alveolar ridge, and maxillary bone, and cleft nose with bilateral choanal atresia.

- Pierson et al. (2004) reviewed 77 reported patients with Fryns syndrome and summarized the abnormal eye findings identified in 12 of them. They also described 3 new patients with Fryns syndrome, 1 of whom demonstrated unilateral microphthalmia and cloudy cornea.

- Slavotinek et al. (2005) noted that Fryns syndrome may be the most common autosomal recessive syndrome in which congenital diaphragmatic hernia (see DIH2, 222400) is a cardinal feature. The autosomal recessive inheritance in Fryns syndrome contrasts with the sporadic inheritance for most patients with DIH.

Amelia may be present as an isolated defect, but it is often associated with major malformations in other organ systems. These frequently include cleft lip and/or palate, body wall defects, malformed head, and defects of the neural tube, kidneys, and diaphragm. Facial clefts may be accompanied by other facial anomalies such as abnormally small jaw, and missing ears or nose. The body wall defects allow internal organs to protrude through the abdomen. Head malformations may be minor to severe with a near absence of the brain. The diaphragm may be herniated or absent and one or both kidneys may be small or absent.

Tetra-amelia syndrome is characterized by the complete absence of all four limbs. The syndrome causes severe malformations of various parts of the body, including the face and head, heart, nervous system, skeleton, and genitalia. In many cases, the lungs are underdeveloped, which makes breathing difficult or impossible. Because children with tetra-amelia syndrome have such serious medical problems, most are stillborn or die shortly after birth.

Ectromelia is a congenital condition where long bones are missing or underdeveloped.

Examples include:

- Amelia

- Hemimelia

- Phocomelia

- Sirenomelia

The following is a list of symptoms that have been associated with Roberts syndrome:

- Bilateral Symmetric Tetraphocomelia- a birth defect in which the hands and feet are attached to shortened arms and legs

- Prenatal Growth Retardation

- Hypomelia (Hypoplasia)- the incomplete development of a tissue or organ; less drastic than aplasia, which is no development at all

- Oligodactyly- fewer than normal number of fingers or toes

- Thumb Aplasia- the absence of a thumb

- Syndactyly- condition in which two or more fingers (or toes) are joined together; the joining can involve the bones or just the skin between the fingers

- Clinodactyly- curving of the fifth finger (little finger) towards the fourth finger (ring finger) due to the underdevelopment of the middle bone in the fifth finger

- Elbow/Knee Flexion Contractures- an inability to fully straighten the arm or leg

- Cleft Lip- the presence of one or two vertical fissures in the upper lip; can be on one side (unilateral) or on both sides (bilateral)

- Cleft Palate- opening in the roof of the mouth

- Premaxillary Protrusion- upper part of the mouth sticks out farther than the lower part of the mouth

- Micrognathia- small chin

- Microbrachycephaly- smaller than normal head size

- Malar Hypoplasia- underdevelopment of the cheek bones

- Downslanting Palpebral Fissures- the outer corners of the eyes point downwards

- Ocular Hypertelorism- unusually wide-set eyes

- Exophthalmos- a protruding eyeball

- Corneal Clouding- clouding of the front-most part of the eye

- Hypoplastic Nasal Alae- narrowing of the nostrils that can decrease the width of the nasal base

- Beaked Nose- a nose with a prominent bridge that gives it the appearance of being curved

- Ear Malformations

- Intellectual disability

- Encephalocele (only in severe cases)- rare defect of the neural tube characterized by sac-like protrusions of the brain

Mortality is high among those severely affected by Roberts syndrome; however, mildly affected individuals may survive to adulthood

Fryns syndrome is an autosomal recessive multiple congenital anomaly syndrome that is usually lethal in the neonatal period. Fryns (1987) reviewed the syndrome.

Yim–Ebbin syndrome is a congenital disorder characterized by the absence of arms, a cleft lip and palate, hydrocephalus, and an iris coloboma. It was first described by Yim and Ebbin in 1982, and later by Thomas and Donnai in 1994. In 1996, a third case was reported by Froster et al. who suggested that the three cases were related and represented a distinct syndrome. In 2000, a similar case was reported by Pierri et al.

It is also known as "amelia cleft lip palate hydrocephalus iris coloboma".

The complete absence of an arm or leg in amelia occurs as a result of the limb formation process being either prevented or interrupted very early in the developing embryo: between 24 and 36 days following fertilization. Tetra-amelia syndrome appears to have an autosomal recessive pattern of inheritance - that is, the parents of an individual with tetra-amelia syndrome each carry one copy of the mutated gene, but do not show signs and symptoms of the condition. In a few cases, amelia may be attributed to health complications during the early stages of pregnancy, including infection, failed abortion or complications associated with removal of an IUD after pregnancy, or use of teratogenic drugs, such as thalidomide.

A limb anomaly is called a dysmelia. These include all forms of limbs anomalies, such as amelia, ectrodactyly, phocomelia, polymelia, polydactyly, syndactyly, polysyndactyly, oligodactyly, brachydactyly, achondroplasia, congenital aplasia or hypoplasia, amniotic band syndrome, and cleidocranial dysostosis.

Congenital anomalies of the heart include patent ductus arteriosus, atrial septal defect, ventricular septal defect, and tetralogy of fallot.

Congenital anomalies of the nervous system include neural tube defects such as spina bifida, meningocele, meningomyelocele, encephalocele and anencephaly. Other congenital anomalies of the nervous system include the Arnold-Chiari malformation, the Dandy-Walker malformation, hydrocephalus, microencephaly, megalencephaly, lissencephaly, polymicrogyria, holoprosencephaly, and agenesis of the corpus callosum.

Congenital anomalies of the gastrointestinal system include numerous forms of stenosis and atresia, and perforation, such as gastroschisis.

Congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract (CAKUT) include renal parenchyma, kidneys, and urinary collecting system.

Defects can be bilateral or unilateral, and different defects often coexist in an individual child

Congenital limb deformities are congenital musculoskeletal disorders which primarily affect the upper and lower limbs.

An example is polydactyly.

Several terms are used to describe congenital abnormalities. (Some of these are also used to describe noncongenital conditions, and more than one term may apply in an individual condition.)

Very frequent signs

- Abnormal gastrointestinal tract

- Absent pectoral muscles

- Brachydactyly (Short fingers)

- Dextrocardia

- Diaphragmatic hernia/defect

- Humerus absent/abnormal

- Liver/biliary tract anomalies

- Maternal diabetes

- Oligodactyly/missing fingers

- Radius absent/abnormal

- Rhizomelic micromelia (relatively shorter proximal segment of the limbs compared to the middle and the distal segments)

- Sparsity or abnormality of axillary hair on affected side

- Syndactyly of fingers (webbing)

- Ulna absent/abnormal

- Upper limb asymmetry

- Abnormal rib

- Simian crease on affected side

Frequent signs

- Hypoplastic/absent nipples

- Scapula anomaly

Occasional signs

- Agenesis/hypoplasia of kidneys

- Encephalocele/exencephaly

- Abnormal morphology of hypothalamic-hypophyseal axis

- Abnormal function of hypothalamic-hypophyseal axis

- Microcephaly

- Preaxial polydactyly

- Ureteric anomalies (reflux/duplex system)

- Vertebral segmentation anomaly

Tetra-amelia syndrome ("" + "amelia"), also called autosomal recessive tetraamelia, is an extremely rare autosomal recessive congenital disorder characterized by the absence of all four limbs. Other areas of the body are also affected by malformations, such as the face, skull, reproductive organs, anus and pelvis. The disorder is caused by mutations in the WNT3 gene.

Little is known about the natural history of Roberts syndrome due to its wide clinical variability. The prognosis of the disease depends on the malformations, as the severity of the malformations correlates with survival. The cause of death for most fatalities of Roberts syndrome have not been reported; however, five deaths were reportedly due to infection.

The following are observations that have been made in individuals with cytogenetic findings of PCS/HR or ESCO2 mutations:

- The symptom of prenatal growth retardation is the most common finding and can be moderate to severe. Postnatal growth retardation can also be moderate to severe and correlates with the degree of severity of limb and craniofacial malformations.

- In limb malformations, the upper limbs are typically more severely affected than the lower limbs. There have been many cases of only upper limb malformation.

- In hand malformations, the thumb is most often affected, followed by the fifth finger (the little finger). In severe cases, the patient may only have three fingers and in rare cases only one.

- In craniofacial malformations, mildly affected individuals will have no abnormalities of the palate. The most severely affected will have a fronto-ethmoid-nasal-maxillary encephalocele.

- The severity of limb malformations and craniofacial malformations is correlated.

- Other abnormalities can occur in different parts of the body, including:

- Heart- atrial septal defects, ventricular septal defects, patent ductus arteriosus

- Kidneys- polycystic kidney, horseshoe kidney

- Male Genitals- enlarged penis, cryptorchidism

- Female Genitals- enlarged clitoris

- Hair- sparse, silvery-blonde scalp hair

- Cranial Nerve Paralysis, Moyamoya disease, Stroke, Intellectual disability

It is an autosomal recessive disorder in which mild clinical manifestations contrast with radiological appearances of gross metaphyseal undermodeling. Most patients present with mild genu valgum. The elbows are unable to extend fully. There may be widening of the lower femora and clavicles. Bones can sometimes be fragile, but fracturing is usually not common. Patients may present with dental caries, mandibular prognathism, spinal alignment, and disproportionate limb lengthening. Mental development, physical development, and height are usually normal.

Dysmelia can refer to

- missing (aplasia) limbs: amelia, oligodactyly, congenital amputation e.g. Tibial or Radial aplasia

- malformation of limbs: shortening (micromelia, rhizomelia or mesomelia), ectrodactyly, phocomelia, meromelia, syndactyly, brachydactyly, club foot

- too many limbs: polymelia, polydactyly, polysyndactyly

- others: Tetraamelia, hemimelia, Symbrachydactyly

Pyle disease may be confused with craniometaphyseal dysplasia. The two, however, are clinically, radiographically, and genetically distinct from one another.

People with visible marks generally feel fine (physically) and can act normally, but when it is mentioned, they may become withdrawn and self-conscious. Some children may have low self-esteem due to the condition.

CMTC is an uncommon, sporadic congenital vascular malformation characterized by a generalized or localized reticulated cutaneous vascular network.

Cutaneous lesions described in patients with CMTC include nevus flammeus, hemangioma, nevus anemicus, café-au-lait spots, melanocytic nevus, aplasia cutis and acral cyanosis.

It has a marbled bluish to deep-purple appearance. The dark skin lesions often show a palpable loss of dermal substance. The reticulated mottling frequently appears more prominent in a cold environment (physiologic cutis marmorata), but tends not to disappear with warming. Hence, the erythema may be worsened by cooling, physical activity, or crying.

CMTC frequently involves the extremities, with the lower extremities involved most commonly, followed by the upper extremities, and then the trunk and face. The lower extremities often show atrophy and seldom show hypertrophy resulting in limb circumference discrepancy.

When located on the trunk, the lesions of CMTC tend to show mosaic distribution in streaks with a sharp midline demarcation seen across the abdomen. The lesions are primarily localized, but can be segmental or generalized, often unilateral in appearance. Diffuse involvement of the skin is usually not observed.

Although its course is variable, the majority of lesions in mild cases fade by adolescence. Ulceration and secondary infection are complications in severe cases and can be fatal if present in the neonatal period.

Proteus syndrome causes an overgrowth of skin, bones, muscles, fatty tissues, and blood and lymphatic vessels.

Proteus syndrome is a progressive condition wherein children are usually born without any obvious deformities. Tumors of skin and bone growths appear as they age typically in early childhood. The musculoskeletal manifestations are cardinal for the diagnosis of Proteus syndrome. The severity and locations of these various asymmetrical growths vary greatly but typically the skull, one or more limbs, and soles of the feet will be affected. There is a risk of premature death in affected individuals due to deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism caused by the vessel malformations that are associated with this disorder. Because of carrying excess weight and enlarged limbs, arthritis and muscle pain may also be symptoms — as is the case for Mandy Sellars, a woman who has been diagnosed with a form of Proteus syndrome (but see "Notable Cases" below). Further risks may occur due to the mass of extra tissue.

The disorder itself does not uniformly cause learning impairments: the distribution of intelligence deficits among sufferers of Proteus syndrome appears higher than that of the general population, although this is difficult to determine with statistical significance. In addition, the presence of visible deformity may have a negative effect on the social experiences of the sufferer, causing cognitive and social deficits.

Afflicted individuals are at increased risk for developing certain tumors including unilateral Ovarian cystadenomas, testicular tumors, meningiomas, and monomorphic adenomas of the parotid gland.

Hemimegalencephaly is often found to be associated.

Dysmelia (from Gr. δυσ- "dys", "bad" + μέλ|ος "mél|os", "limb" + Eng. suff. -ia) is a congenital disorder of a limb resulting from a disturbance in embryonic development.

The musculoskeletal manifestations of Proteus syndrome are frequent and recognizable. Patients tend to demonstrate a unique pattern of skeletal abnormalities. The orthopaedic features are usually bilateral, asymmetrical, progressive and involving all four limbs and spine. Afflicted patients usually have localized periarticular limb distortions, limb length discrepancy, and spine deformity. Patients with Proteus syndrome can have regular bone configuration and contours despite the bone enlargement. Patients can also exhibit hyperthyroidism of the skull and facial abnormalities. Because of the rarity of the syndrome and the variability of signs, the orthopaedic management should be individualized.

Asymmetric crying facies (ACF), also called Cayler cardiofacial syndrome, partial unilateral facial paresis and hypoplasia of depressor angula oris muscle, is a minor congenital anomaly caused by agenesis or hypoplasia of the depressor anguli oris muscle, one of the muscles that control the movements of the lower lip. This unilateral facial weakness is first noticed when the infant cries or smiles, affecting only one corner of the mouth and occurs on the left side in nearly 80% of cases. It is associated with other birth defects in more than 50% of cases.

When the hypoplasia of the depressor anguli oris muscle is associated with congenital cardiac defects, the term 'Cayler cardiofacial syndrome' is used.

Cayler syndrome is part of 22q11.2 deletion syndrome.

It was characterized by Cayler in 1969.

Characteristics are:

- A fibrous band instead of the fibula

- Short deformed leg

- Absence of the lateral part of the ankle joint (due to absence of the distal end of the fibula), and what is left is unstable; the foot has an equinovalgus deformity

- Possible absence of part of the foot requiring surgical intervention to bring the foot into normal function, or amputation.

- Possible absence of one or two toes on the foot

- Possible conjoined toes or metatarsals

Partial or total absence of fibula is among the most frequent limb anomalies. It is the most common long bone deficiency and is the most common skeletal deformity in the leg. It most often is unilateral (present only on one side). It may also present as bilateral (affecting both legs). Paraxial fibular hemimelia is the most common manifestation in which only the postaxial portion of the limb is affected. It is commonly seen as a complete terminal deficiency, where the lateral rays of the foot are also affected. Hemimelia can also be intercalary in which case the foot remains unaffected. Although the missing bone is easily identified, this condition is not simply a missing bone. Males are affected twice as often as females in most series.