[Cephalic neural crests and disorders of craniofacial morphogenesis. Neurocristopathies (author's transl)]

To establish the pathogenicity, and attempt to define a classification of craniofacial malformations is a difficult task, both in animals and humans. Mention is often made of the classification developed by Paul Tessier, which according to this author "is neither based on a theory nor on an embryonic definition. It is the by-product of anatomical findings during clinical examination and operative dissections" (31). The authors propose an embryologic classification of facial malformations, based on disorders of embryonic development of cells derived from the neural crests (NC) of cephalic origin, and constituting the craniofacial ectomesenchyme. The importance of the cephalic NC derivatives in craniofacial morphogenesis is stressed, and the principal malformations of the cephalic shelf outlined, as a function of disorders occurring during the formation of the NC; migrations, proliferation, and differentiation of their derivatives. The main objective of this study was to formulate pathogenetic hypotheses, to propose a classification, and to stimulate interest in further studies in the realm of physiological and pathological craniofacial morphogenesis.