A SYNDROME OF INFANTILISM, CONGENITAL WEBBED NECK, AND CUBITUS VALGUS1

Abstract

The triad, infantilism, webbing of the skin of the neck, and deformity of the elbow (cubitus valgus), occurring in the same individual is unusual, and, to my knowledge, has not been previously reported. It is sufficiently interesting to warrant this report, although the individual signs are perhaps not uncommon. Short neck, due to absence of the cervical spine, was first described by Klippel and Feil (1) in 1912. Only about 40 such cases have been reported to date, and these mostly in the French and German literature. A similar condition (pseudo-Klippel-Feil syndrome) (2) has been reported, in which there was a numerical variation in, and more or less complete fusion of, the cervical vertebrae. Webbing of the neck was first described by Kobylinski (3) in 1882, and its relation to congenital short neck was suggested by Darchter (4) in 1922.