Shprintzen (velo-cardio-facial) syndrome: a rare case

Shprintzen syndrome (velo-cardio-facial, VCFS) is a very rare morbid entity, seen in either familial or sporadic forms, with major clinical findings such as facial dysmorphism, cleft palate, cardiovascular (especially conotruncal-anomalies), mild/moderate mental retardation, or, more commonly, observed learning difficulty. Tendency to behavioral disorders and bipolar schizophrenic diseases may be present in these cases. Autosomal dominant inheritance has been reported. VCFS appears as a consequence of microdeletion in the 22q11 chromosomal band. Although each syndrome has different clinical reflections, genetically the defect is located on the same chromosome.A 4-year-old boy was admitted to our clinic with a syndromic face and the diagnosis of tetralogy of Fallot. The patient underwent total correction of the cardiac defect. Atypical facial appearance, cleft palate, and malformed hand-fingers were present. With the aid of pediatric and genetic consultation (fluorescence in situ hybridization test), Shprintzen syndrome was confirmed. Both early and late postoperative periods of the patient were uneventful. The patient was closely consulted by a specialist psychologist during and after the hospitalization period. These children can be integrated into social life earlier through early surgical intervention for cardiac defects and facial deformations as well as neurologic and/or neuropsychiatric evaluation.