Microdeletion 22q11.2, Kousseff syndrome and spina bifida

A fetus was diagnosed on ultrasound scan as having sacral spina bifida and a ventricular septal defect in the heart. At postmortem examination the cardiac defect was found to be a conotruncal abnormality, and there was a cleft palate, some facial dysmorphism as well as the spina bifida. A diagnosis of Kousseff syndrome was made, but detailed cytogenetics subsequently revealed a 22q11.2 deletion. In the light of these findings, and on review of the literature, we suggest that spina bifida is recognized as a feature of the variable phenotype associated with this microdeletion.