[Dermatoglyphic studies in cases of the Meyer-Rokitansky-Kuster-Hauser syndrome]

A group of patients suffering from the Meyer-Rokitansky-Kuster-Hauser syndrome were examined by dermatoglyphic methods. The results were compared with those obtained by examining a control group of healthy men and women. The dermatoglyphic studies revealed a pronounced influence of the X chromosome and the presence of a sex chromosome mosaicism with three or more X chromosomes, a finding that agrees with the results of cytological and chromosome analyses. The evidence of these dermatoglyphic studies strongly supports the hypothesis indicating a genetic origin of the disorder. The relation between the genetically active and the genetically inactive chromatin masses is discussed and the authors propose that deviations from normal embryogenesis are the result of deviations from the optimum proportions.