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- $Unique_ID{BRK04233}
- $Pretitle{}
- $Title{Sprengel Deformity}
- $Subject{Sprengel Deformity High Scapula Scapula Elevata Klippel-Feil Anomaly
- }
- $Volume{}
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-
- Copyright (C) 1993 National Organization for Rare Disorders, Inc.
-
- 942:
- Sprengel Deformity
-
- ** IMPORTANT **
- It is possible that the main title of the article (Sprengel Deformity) is
- not the name you expected. Please check the SYNONYMS listing to find the
- alternate name and disorder subdivisions covered by this article.
-
- Synonyms
-
- High Scapula
- Scapula Elevata
-
- Information on the following diseases can be found in the Related
- Disorders section of this report:
-
- Klippel-Feil Anomaly
-
- General Discussion
-
- **REMINDER **
- The Information contained in the Rare Disease Database is provided for
- educational purposes only. It should not be used for diagnostic or treatment
- purposes. If you wish to obtain more information about this disorder, please
- contact your personal physician and/or the agencies listed in the "Resources"
- section of this report.
-
- Sprengel Deformity is a rare congenital disorder in which the shoulder
- blade has an upward displacement. The elevated shoulder blade causes a lump
- in the back of the base of the neck and may limit movement of the arm on the
- affected side. This disorder typically appears at birth for no apparent
- reason although there have been cases in which the disorder was inherited as
- an autosomal dominant trait. Other skeletal and muscular abnormalities have
- been found in association with Sprengel Deformity.
-
- Symptoms
-
- Patients with Sprengel Deformity are born with an elevated shoulder blade
- that may be underdeveloped. This upward displacement of the shoulder blade
- causes a lump in the back at the base of the neck and may limit movement of
- the arm.
-
- Some patients with Sprengel Deformity may have bone, cartilage or fiber-
- like tissue between the shoulder blade and vertebrae next to it.
- Abnormalities of the skeleton and underdeveloped muscles may also be found in
- over half of the patients.
-
- The following symptoms have been found in association with Sprengel
- Deformity in some patients: sideways curvature of the spine (scoliosis); an
- underdeveloped backbone (hemivertebrae); missing or fused ribs; ribs in the
- neck; abnormalities of the collarbone; underdeveloped or incomplete muscles
- of the shoulder girdle; abnormalities of the chest; organs of the body
- displaced on the opposite side (ex: liver on the left and heart on the
- right; a gap in the vertebrae column of the lower back (spina bifida
- occulta); and/or a condition in which there is a hole in the middle of the
- roof of the mouth (cleft palate).
-
- Causes
-
- The majority of cases of Sprengel Deformity occur for no apparent reason
- (sporadically). Autosomal dominant inheritance has been reported in some
- families.
-
- Human traits, including the classic genetic diseases, are the product of
- the interaction of two genes, one received from the father and one from the
- mother. In dominant disorders a single copy of the disease gene (received
- from either the mother or father) will be expressed "dominating" the other
- normal gene and resulting in the appearance of the disease. The risk of
- transmitting the disorder from affected parent to offspring is fifty percent
- for each pregnancy regardless of the sex of the resulting child.
-
- Affected Population
-
- Sprengel Deformity is a very rare disorder that affects males and females
- equally in autosomal dominant cases, and females twice as often as males in
- sporadic cases. Approximately twenty families have been reported in the
- medical literature with the inherited form of Sprengel Deformity.
-
- Related Disorders
-
- Symptoms of the following disorders can be similar to those of Sprengel
- Deformity. Comparisons may be useful for a differential diagnosis:
-
- Klippel-Feil Syndrome is a rare congenital disorder of the spine. Three
- types of Klippel-Feil Syndrome have been identified. Symptoms common to all
- three types include fusion of neck vertebrae, curvature of the spine, and a
- low hairline. (For more information on this disorder, choose "Klippel-Feil
- Syndrome" as your search term in the Rare Disease Database).
-
- Therapies: Standard
-
- Surgery may be performed in severe cases of Sprengel Deformity to improve
- mobility and cosmetic appearance.
-
- Genetic counseling may be of benefit for patients and their families.
- Other treatment is symptomatic and supportive.
-
- Therapies: Investigational
-
- Research on birth defects and their causes is ongoing. The National
- Institutes of Health (NIH) is sponsoring the Human Genome Project which is
- aimed at mapping every gene in the human body and learning why they sometimes
- malfunction. It is hoped that this new knowledge will lead to prevention and
- treatment of genetic disorders in the future.
-
- This disease entry is based upon medical information available through
- May 1993. Since NORD's resources are limited, it is not possible to keep
- every entry in the Rare Disease Database completely current and accurate.
- Please check with the agencies listed in the Resources section for the most
- current information about this disorder.
-
- Resources
-
- For more information on Sprengel Deformity, please contact:
-
- National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD)
- P.O. Box 8923
- New Fairfield, CT 06812-1783
- (203) 746-6518
-
- The National Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)
- Information Clearinghouse
- Box AMS
- Bethesda, MD 20892
- (301) 495-4484
-
- International Center for Skeletal Dysplasia
- St. Joseph Hospital
- 7620 York Road
- Towson, MD 21204
- (301) 337-1250
-
- For Genetic Information and Genetic Counseling Referrals:
-
- March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation
- 1275 Mamaroneck Avenue
- White Plains, NY 10605
- (914) 428-7100
-
- Alliance of Genetic Support Groups
- 35 Wisconsin Circle, Suite 440
- Chevy Chase, MD 20815
- (800) 336-GENE
- (301) 652-5553
-
- References
-
- MENDELIAN INHERITANCE IN MAN, 9th Ed.: Victor A. McKusick, Editor: Johns
- Hopkins University Press, 1990. Pp. 878.
-
- BIRTH DEFECTS ENCYCLOPEDIA, Mary Louise Buyse, M.D., Editor-In-Chief;
- Blackwell Scientific Publications, 1990. Pp. 1593-94.
-
- SPRENGEL DEFORMITY: S.J. Leibovic, et al.; J Bone Joint Surg (February,
- 1990, issue 72(2)). Pp. 192-7.
-
-