Expanding the Clinical Spectrum of Arboleda-Tham Syndrome: Neuroimaging Findings and Hematologic Manifestations

Arboleda-Tham syndrome (ARTHS) is a rare autosomal dominant neurodevelopmental disorder caused by pathogenic variants in the lysine acetyltransferase 6A (KAT6A) gene, characterized by global developmental delay, severe speech impairment, craniofacial dysmorphism, and congenital heart defects (CHDs).

We retrospectively reviewed data from 14 patients with molecularly confirmed KAT6A variants evaluated at the pediatric neurology center of Seoul National University Children's Hospital between 2018 and 2024. Clinical, genetic, neuroimaging, and laboratory data were systematically analyzed to evaluate the phenotypic spectrum associated with ARTHS.

Fourteen patients were identified, 79% of whom were male, with ages ranging from 2 to 14 years at the time of their last visit. Thirteen patients (93%) harbored late-truncating variants. Global developmental delay was universal, with marked speech impairment; most patients remained minimally verbal beyond age 5. Craniofacial dysmorphisms were observed in 11 patients (79%) and CHDs in 6 of the 10 assessed (60%). Notably, 3 of 11 patients (27%) exhibited hematologic abnormalities, ranging from transient neonatal neutropenia to severe aplastic anemia requiring hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Brain imaging revealed type 1 Chiari malformation and white matter hyperintensities in 2 of the 10 assessed (20%), suggesting a broader neuroanatomic involvement. Radioulnar synostosis was observed in 1 patient, suggesting a possible expansion of the skeletal phenotype in ARTHS.

Our study broadens the recognized clinical features of ARTHS by reporting diverse neuroimaging findings, skeletal anomalies including radioulnar synostosis, and hematologic manifestations such as transient neonatal neutropenia and severe aplastic anemia. These findings reinforce the need for multidisciplinary surveillance in ARTHS and suggest potential avenues for further investigation into the role of KAT6A in hematopoiesis, neurodevelopment, and skeletal formation.