Robinow noted the resemblance of affected patients' faces to that of a fetus, using the term "fetal facies" to describe the appearance of a small face and widely spaced eyes. Clinical features also may include a short, upturned nose, a prominent forehead, and a flat nasal bridge. The upper lip may be "tented", exposing dental crowding, "tongue tie", or gum hypertrophy.

Though the eyes do not protrude, abnormalities in the lower eyelid may give that impression. Surgery may be necessary if the eyes cannot close fully. In addition, the ears may be set low on the head or have a deformed pinna.

Patients suffer from dwarfism, short lower arms, small feet, and small hands. Fingers and toes may also be abnormally short and laterally or medially bent. The thumb may be displaced and some patients, notably in Turkey, experience ectrodactyly. All patients often suffer from vertebral segmentation abnormalities. Those with the dominant variant have, at most, a single butterfly vertebra. Those with the recessive form, however, may suffer from hemivertebrae, vertebral fusion, and rib anomalies. Some cases resemble Jarcho-Levin syndrome or spondylocostal dysostosis.

Genital defects characteristically seen in males include a micropenis with a normally developed scrotum and testes. Sometimes, testicles may be undescended, or the patient may suffer from hypospadias. Female genital defects may include a reduced size clitoris and underdeveloped labia minora. Infrequently, the labia majora may also be underdeveloped. Some research has shown that females may experience vaginal atresia or haematocolpos.

The autosomal recessive form of the disorder tends to be much more severe. Examples of differences are summarized in the following table:

This condition is characterised by symmetrical lesions on the temples resembling forceps marks. It is characterized a puckered skin due to a virtual absence of subcutaneous fat. It is apparent at birth. Other lesions that may be present include puffy, wrinkled skin around the eyes and/or abnormalities of the eyelashes, eyebrows, and eyelids. The eyebrows may be up slanting or outward slanting. Occasionally the bridge of the nose may appear flat, while the tip may appear unusually rounded. The chin may be furrowed. The upper lip may be prominent with a down turned mouth. Other features that have been reported include dysplastic and low set ears, linear radiatory impressions on the forehead and congenital horizontal nystagmus.

Those with the Setleis syndrome may be missing eyelashes on both the upper and lower lids or may have multiple rows of lashes on the upper lids but none on the lower lids.A possible association with intra abdominal cancer has been reported but to date this has not been confirmed in other studies.

Ectodermal dysplasia is characterized by absent sweat glands resulting in dry (hypohydrotic), often scale-like skin, sparse and usually coarse scalp hair that is often blonde, sparse eyebrows and eyelashes, and small brittle nails. In addition, abnormalities of ectodermal derivatives, neuroectodermal derivatives, and mesectodermal derivatives are often found. The ectodermal derivative abnormalities can affect the epidermis including mammary, pituitary and sweat glands, as well as hairs, dental enamel, nails, lens, and the internal ear. Neuroectodermal derivatives that can be affected include sensory placodes, cutaneous pigmental cells, and hair buds. Mesectodermal derivatives affected can include the dermis, hypodermis, dentin, head muscles and conjunctival cells, cervicofacial vascular endothelial cells, and part of the maxillofacial skeleton.

The hypohydrotic symptoms of ectodermal dysplasia described above are evidenced not only in the skin of affected individuals, but also in their phonation and voice production. Because the vocal folds may not be as hydrated as is necessary during the adduction phase of vocal fold vibration (due to lack of lubrication), a complete seal may not be accomplished between the folds and mucosal wave movement may be disrupted. This results in air escapement between the folds and the production of breathy voice, which often accompanies the skin abnormalities of ectodermal dysplasia.

There is much discrepancy in the literature regarding the exact nature of the facial clefting involved in EEC. Some authors claim that the clefting involved in EEC is always cleft lip +/- palate and use this marker as a means of distinguishing EEC from other syndromes, such as AEC syndrome (ankyloblepharon, ectodermal dysplasia, and clefting) in which other types of clefting are found. Other authors include cleft palate only (CPO) in conjunction with ectrodactyly and ectodermal dysplasia as sufficient for a diagnosis of EEC.

The clinical presentation is variable but includes

- developmental and growth delay

- athletic muscular built

- skeletal anomalies

- joint stiffness

- characteristic facial appearance

- deafness

- variable cognitive deficits

- tracheal stenosis

- aortic stenosis

- pyloric stenosis

The facial abnormalities include:

- blepharophimosis (an abnormally narrow gap between the upper and lower eyelids)

- maxillary hypoplasia (underdevelopment of the upper jaw)

- prognathism (prominent lower jaw)

The skeletal abnormalities include:

- short stature

- square body shape

- broad ribs

- iliac hypoplasia

- brachydactyly

- flattened vertebrae

- thickened calvaria

Congenital heart disease and undescended testes have also been reported in association with this syndrome.

Nasodigitoacoustic syndrome is congenital and is characterized by a number of nasal, facial and cranial features. These include a broad and high, sometimes depressed nasal bridge (top of the nose, between the eyes) and a flattened nasal tip. This can give the nose a shortened, arch-like appearance. Hypertelorism (unusually wide-set eyes), prominent frontal bones and supraorbital ridge (the eyebrow ridge), bilateral epicanthic folds (an extra flap of skin over the eyelids), a broad forehead and an overall enlarged head circumference have also been observed. A bulging of the upper lip with an exaggerated cupid's bow shape, and maxillary hypoplasia (underdevelopment of the upper jaw) with retraction have also been reported.

Several anomalies affecting the digits (fingers and toes) have been observed with the syndrome. A broadening of the thumbs and big toes (halluces) was reported in two brothers. The broadening was apparent in all distal phalanges of the fingers, although the pinkies were unaffected yet appeared to be clinodactylic (warped, or bent toward the other fingers). Additional eports described this broadness of the thumbs and big toes, with brachydactyly (shortness) in the distal phalanges of the other digits except the pinkies in affected individuals. On X-rays of a two-year-old boy with the disorder, the brachydactyly was shown to be caused by shortening of epiphyses (joint-ends) of the distal phalanges. The broadness and brachydactyly of the big toes in particular may give them a stunted, rounded and stub-like appearance.

The auditory, or "acoustic" abnormalities observed with the syndrome include sensorineural hearing loss and hoarseness. Two affected Turkish brothers with a mild form of this hearing loss, and a hoarse voice were reported. A laryngoscopic examination of both brothers revealed swelling of the vocal cords, and a malformed epiglottis. Sensorineural-associated hearing impairment and hoarsness was also observed in a 10-year-old girl and her father, and in a number of other cases.

Other characteristics seen with the syndrome include developmental delay, growth retardation, pulmonary stenosis (an obstruction of blood-flow from the right ventricle of the heart to the pulmonary artery) with associated dyspnea (shortness of breath), and renal agenesis (failure of the kidneys to develop during the fetal period). Undescended testes, hyperactivity and aggressive behavior have also been noted.

People with Aarskog-Scott syndrome often have distinctive facial features, such as widely spaced eyes (hypertelorism), a small nose, a long area between the nose and mouth (philtrum), and a widow's peak hairline. They frequently have mild to moderate short stature during childhood, but their growth usually catches up with that of their peers during puberty. Hand abnormalities are common in this syndrome and include short fingers (brachydactyly), curved pinky fingers (fifth finger clinodactyly), webbing of the skin between some fingers (cutaneous syndactyly), and a single crease across the palm. Other abnormalities in people with Aarskog-Scott syndrome include heart defects and a split in the upper lip (cleft lip) with or without an opening in the roof of the mouth (cleft palate).

Most males with Aarskog-Scott syndrome have a shawl scrotum, in which the scrotum surrounds the penis instead of hanging below. Less often, they have undescended testes (cryptorchidism) or a soft out-pouching around the belly-button (umbilical hernia) or in the lower abdomen (inguinal hernia).

The intellectual development of people with Aarskog-Scott syndrome varies widely. Some may have mild learning and behavior problems, while others have normal intelligence. In rare cases, severe intellectual disability has been reported.

Facial features found in this syndrome include

- dolichocephaly

- hypertelorism

- ptosis

- microretrognathia

- high arched palate

- long flat philtrum

- low set ears

Non facial features of this syndrome include

- hyperextensibility

- hypotonia

- lateral meningoceles

The lateral meningocoles are a common finding in this syndrome. They may be associated with neurological abnormalities and result in bladder dysfunction and neuropathy.

Focal facial dermal dysplasia (FFDD) is a rare genetically heterogeneous group of disorders that are characterized by congenital bilateral scar like facial lesions, with or without associated facial anomalies. It is characterized by hairless lesions with fingerprint like puckering of the skin, especially at the temples, due to alternating bands of dermal and epidermal atrophy.

This condition is also known as Brauer syndrome (hereditary symmetrical aplastic nevi of temples, bitemporal aplasia cutis congenita, bitemporal aplasia cutis congenita: OMIM ) and Setleis syndrome (facial ectodermal dysplasia: OMIM ).

Symptoms in people with Treacher Collins syndrome vary. Some individuals are so mildly affected that they remain undiagnosed, while others have moderate to severe facial involvement and life-threatening airway compromise. Most of the features of TCS are symmetrical and are already recognizable at birth.

The most common symptom of Treacher Collins syndrome is underdevelopment of the lower jaw and underdevelopment of the zygomatic bone. This can be accompanied by the tongue being retracted. The small mandible can result in a poor occlusion of the teeth or in more severe cases, trouble breathing or swallowing. Underdevelopment of the zygomatic bone gives the cheeks a sunken appearance.

The external ear is sometimes small, rotated, malformed, or absent entirely in people with TCS. Symmetric, bilateral narrowing or absence of the external ear canals is also described. In most cases, the bones of the middle ear and the middle ear cavity are misshapen. Inner ear malformations are rarely described. As a result of these abnormalities, a majority of the individuals with TCS have conductive hearing loss.

Most affected people also experience eye problems, including colobomata (notches) in the lower eyelids, partial or complete absence of eyelashes on the lower lid, downward angled eyelids, drooping of upper and lower eyelids, and narrowing of the tear ducts. Vision loss can occur and is associated with strabismus, refractive errors, and anisometropia. It can also be caused by severely dry eyes, a consequence of lower eyelid abnormalities and frequent eye infections.

Although an abnormally shaped skull is not distinctive for Treacher Collins syndrome, brachycephaly with bitemporal narrowing is sometimes observed. Cleft palate is also common.

Dental anomalies are seen in 60% of affected people, including tooth agenesis (33%), discoloration (enamel opacities) (20%), malplacement of the maxillary first molars (13%), and wide spacing of the teeth. In some cases, dental anomalies in combination with mandible hypoplasia result in a malocclusion. This can lead to problems with food intake and the ability to close the mouth.

Less common features of TCS may add to an affected person's breathing problems, including sleep apnea. Choanal atresia or stenosis is a narrowing or absence of the choanae, the internal opening of the nasal passages. Underdevelopment of the pharynx, can also narrow the airway.

Features related to TCS that are seen less frequently include nasal deformities, high-arched palate, macrostomia, preauricular hair displacement, cleft palate, hypertelorism, notched upper eyelid, and congenital heart defects.

The general public may associate facial deformity with developmental delay and intellectual disability, but more than 95% of people affected with TCS have normal intelligence. The psychological and social problems associated with facial deformity can affect quality of life in people with TCS.

Hemangiomas associated with PHACE Syndrome are usually small or not visible at birth, but are easier to see during the first days to weeks of life. They can grow rapidly. Hemangiomas linked with PHACE Syndrome tend to cover a large area of the face, head or neck, either as one lesion or as many single lesions.

Common relevant features of acrocephalosyndactyly are a high-arched palate, pseudomandibular prognathism (appearing as mandibular prognathism), a narrow palate, and crowding of the teeth.

The Pai Syndrome is a rare subtype of frontonasal dysplasia. It is a triad of developmental defects of the face, comprising midline cleft of the upper lip, nasal and facial skin polyps and central nervous system lipomas. When all the cases are compared, a difference in severity of the midline cleft of the upper lip can be seen. The mild form presents with just a gap between the upper teeth. The severe group presents with a complete cleft of the upper lip and alveolar ridge.

Nervous system lipomas are rare congenital benign tumors of the central nervous system, mostly located in the medial line and especially in the corpus callosum. Generally, patients with these lipomas present with strokes. However, patients with the Pai syndrome don’t. That is why it is suggested that isolated nervous system lipomas have a different embryological origin than the lipomas present in the Pai syndrome. The treatment of CNS lipomas mainly consists of observation and follow up.

Skin lipomas occur relatively often in the normal population. However, facial and nasal lipomas are rare, especially in childhood. However, the Pai syndrome often present with facial and nasal polyps. These skin lipomas are benign, and are therefore more a cosmetic problem than a functional problem.

The skin lipomas can develop on different parts of the face. The most common place is the nose. Other common places are the forehead, the conjunctivae and the frenulum linguae. The amount of skin lipomas is not related to the severity of the midline clefting.

Patients with the Pai syndrome have a normal neuropsychological development.

Until today there is no known cause for the Pai syndrome.

The large variety in phenotypes make the Pai syndrome difficult to diagnose. Thus the incidence of Pai syndrome seems to be underestimated.

Dental features:

- small teeth in males

- pointed (screwdriver shaped or conical) incisors (sometimes called Hutchinson teeth)

- incisors with an irregulal incisal edge

- canines: enlarged and globular; may be dome or bud shaped with trilobed edge

- premolars and molars: small, round and globular; may have supernumary lobes (mulberry or lotus flower shape)

- widely separated teeth (diastemma)

- hypoplastic enamel

- dental agenesis

- presence of mesiodents (median incisor behind normal upper incisors)

- pulp chamber anomalies

Facial features:

- anteverted pinnae

- long face

- prominent nasal bridge and nose

- prognathism occasionally

Ophthalmic features:

- bilateral congenital nuclear opacities (100%)

- severe amblyopia

- nystagmus (93%)

- strabismus (43%)

- microcornea (96%)

- congenital glaucoma

- scleral staphylomas

- retinal cystoid degeneration

- microphthalmia

These lead to severe visual impairment in affected males.

Other:

- The fourth metacarpal may be shortened

30% of patients also have some degree of intellectual impairment: of these 80% are mildly to moderately affected: the other 20% may have developmental delays and behavior problems.

Carrier females display milder variable symptoms of disease. Ocular signs are present in 90% of heterozygous females. These are typically lens opacities often involving the posterior Y sutures. More rarely dental anomalies and the characteristic facial features may also occur.

As it grows, the hemangioma can break down skin, distort facial features or get in the way of other vital functions, such as breathing, vision, and hearing. Other complications will depend on what other structures are involved. These could include developmental delay, seizures, headaches, and abnormal muscle tone if the brain is involved.

TCS is often first suspected with characteristic symptoms observed during a physical exam. However, the clinical presentation of TCS can resemble other diseases, making diagnosis difficult. The OMENS classification was developed as a comprehensive and stage-based approach to differentiate the diseases. This acronym describes five distinct dysmorphic manifestations, namely orbital asymmetry, mandibular hypoplasia, auricular deformity, nerve development, and soft-tissue disease.

Orbital symmetry

- O0: normal orbital size, position

- O1: abnormal orbital size

- O2: abnormal orbital position

- O3: abnormal orbital size and position

Mandible

- M0: normal mandible

- M1: small mandible and glenoid fossa with short ramus

- M2: ramus short and abnormally shaped

1. 2A: glenoid fossa in anatomical acceptable position

2. 2B: Temperomandibular joint inferiorly (TMJ), medially, anteriorly displaced, with severely hypoplastic condyle

- M3: Complete absence of ramus, glenoid fossa, and TMJ

Ear

- E0: normal ear

- E1: Minor hypoplasia and cupping with all structures present

- E2: Absence of external auditory canal with variable hypoplasia of the auricle

- E3: Malposition of the lobule with absent auricle, lobular remnant usually inferior anteriorly displaced

Facial nerve

- N0: No facial nerve involvement

- N1: Upper facial nerve involvement (temporal or zygomatic branches)

- N2: Lower facial nerve involvement (buccal, mandibular or cervical)

- N3: All branches affected

Soft tissue

- S0: No soft tissue or muscle deficiency

- S1: Minimal tissue or muscle deficiency

- S2: Moderate tissue or muscle deficiency

- S3: Severe tissue or muscle deficiency

Symptoms are related to defects in connective tissue.

- Congenital anterior dislocation of the knees

- Dislocation of hips and shoulders

- Flattened facial appearance

- Prominent forehead

- Depressed nasal bridge

- Club foot

- Cervical kyphosis

Robinow syndrome is an extremely rare genetic disorder characterized by short-limbed dwarfism, abnormalities in the head, face, and external genitalia, as well as vertebral segmentation. The disorder was first described in 1969 by human geneticist Meinhard Robinow, along with physicians Frederic N. Silverman and Hugo D. Smith, in the "American Journal of Diseases of Children". By 2002, over 100 cases had been documented and introduced into medical literature.

Two forms of the disorder exist, dominant and recessive, of which the former is more common. Patients with the dominant version often suffer moderately from the aforementioned symptoms. Recessive cases, on the other hand, are usually more physically marked, and individuals may exhibit more skeletal abnormalities. The recessive form is particularly frequent in Turkey. However, this can likely be explained by a common ancestor, as these patients' families can be traced to a single town in Eastern Turkey. Clusters of the autosomal recessive form have also been documented in Oman and Czechoslovakia.

The syndrome is also known as Robinow-Silverman-Smith syndrome, Robinow dwarfism, fetal face, fetal face syndrome, fetal facies syndrome, acral dysostosis with facial and genital abnormalities, or mesomelic dwarfism-small genitalia syndrome. The recessive form was previously known as Covesdem syndrome.

These symptoms were found in rare cases of Larsen syndrome.

- Cataracts

- Cleft palate

- Extra bones of wrist

- Malocclusion

- Microdontia and hypodontia

- Complete agenesis of anus

- uterus

- Bifid tongue

This classification is based on the morphologic characteristics of FND, that describes a variety of phenotypes

Both of these classifications are further described in table 1. This table originates from the article ‘Acromelic frontonasal dysplasia: further delineation of a subtype with brain malformations and polydactyly (Toriello syndrome)', Verloes et al.

Aarskog–Scott syndrome is a rare disease inherited as X-linked and characterized by short stature, facial abnormalities, skeletal and genital anomalies. This condition mainly affects males, although females may have mild features of the syndrome.

The Aarskog–Scott syndrome (AAS) is also known as the Aarskog syndrome, faciodigitogenital syndrome, shawl scrotum syndrome and faciogenital dysplasia.

Signs of Seaver Cassidy syndrome include several facial disorders, including hypertelorism and telecanthus, epicanthal folds, downslanting palpebral fissures, ptosis, a broad nasal bridge, malar hypoplasia, a thin upper lip, a smooth philtrum, and low-set, prominent ears. Males with Seaver Cassidy syndrome may also experience an underdeveloped shawl scrotum and cryptorchidism. Skeletal anomalies, such genu valgum, hyperextended joints, or cubitus valgus, may also be present.

Genitopatellar syndrome is a rare condition characterized by genital abnormalities, missing or underdeveloped kneecaps (patellae), intellectual disability, and abnormalities affecting other parts of the body.

Genitopatellar syndrome is also associated with delayed development and intellectual disability, which are often severe. Affected individuals may have an unusually small head (microcephaly) and structural brain abnormalities, including underdeveloped or absent tissue connecting the left and right halves of the brain (agenesis of the corpus callosum).

ICF syndrome (or Immunodeficiency, Centromere instability and Facial anomalies syndrome) is a very rare autosomal recessive immune disorder.

All acrocephalosyndactyly syndromes show some level of limb anomalies, so it can be hard to tell them apart. However, the typical hand deformities in patients with Apert Syndrome distinguish it from the other syndromes.

The hands in patients with Apert syndrome always show four common features:

1. a short thumb with radial deviation

2. complex syndactyly of the index, long and ring finger

3. symbrachyphalangism

4. simple syndactyly of the fourth webspace

The deformity of the space between the index finger and the thumb may be variable. Based on this first webspace, we can differentiate three different types of handdeformation:

- Type I: Also called a "spade hand". The most common and least severe type of deformation. The thumb shows radial deviation and clinodactyly, but is separated from the index finger. The index, long and ring finger are fused together in the distal interphalangeal joints and form a flat palm. During the embryonic stage, the fusion has no effect on the longitudinal growth of these fingers, so they have a normal length. In the fourth webspace, we always see a simple syndactyly, either complete or incomplete.

- Type II: Also called a "spoon" or "mitten" hand. This is a more serious anomaly since the thumb is fused to the index finger by simple complete or incomplete syndactyly. Only the distal phalanx of the thumb is not joined in the osseous union with the index finger and has a separate nail. Because the fusion of the digits is at the level of the distal interphalangeal joints, a concave palm is formed. Most of the time, we see complete syndactyly of the fourth webspace.

- Type III: Also called the "hoof" or "rosebud" hand. This is the most uncommon but also most severe form of hand deformity in Apert syndrome. There is a solid osseous or cartilaginous fusion of all digits with one long, conjoined nail. The thumb is turned inwards and it is often impossible to tell the fingers apart. Usually proper imaging of the hand is very difficult, due to overlap of bones, but physical examination alone is not enough to measure the severity of deformation