Pharmacological treatment of aggressive behavior and emesis in the Cornelia de Lange Syndrome

Chlorpromazine and fluphenazine decanoate were employed to treat aggressive behavior and emesis in a 22-year-old patient with Cornelia de Lange syndrome. Institution of the above neuroleptics, following an unsuccessful trial of diazepam, produced reductions of 95.1 per cent and 37.9 per cent for aggressive behavior and emesis, respectively. Four follow-up observations, occurring at 3-week intervals, revealed maintenance of low rates of aggressive behavior and continued reductions in emesis (mean reduction of 81.5 per cent). These findings are important for their a) inclusion of direct behavioral observation as the data base, and b) initial promising effects of neuroleptics for a rare mental retardation syndrome.