Cornelia de Lange syndrome associated with a suprasellar germinoma

A case of Cornelia de Lange syndrome complicated by a suprasellar germinoma is presented. The patient was an 18 years old girl with severe mental retardation and characteristic facial and other malformed features. She was admitted because of polyuria and polydipsia. Endocrine investigation showed defects of hypothalamic-pituitary function. The most striking finding on postmortem examination was the existence of a suprasellar germinoma extending to the optic tract and pituitary lobes. We discussed a diagnostic problem caused by the coexistence of these two uncommon entities.