Cryptorchidism, or failure of testicular descent, is a common human congenital abnormality with a multifactorial etiology that likely reflects the involvement of endocrine, environmental, and hereditary factors. Cryptorchidism can result in infertility and increases risk for testicular tumors. Testicular descent from abdomen to scrotum occurs in 2 distinct phases: the transabdominal phase and the inguinoscrotal phase (summary by Gorlov et al., 2002).

Abnormal position of urethral meatus on the ventral penile shaft (underside) characterized by displacement of the urethral meatus from the tip of the glans penis to the ventral surface of the penis, scrotum, or perineum.

Abnormally small penis. At birth, the normal penis is about 3 cm (stretched length from pubic tubercle to tip of penis) with micropenis less than 2.0-2.5 cm.

Abnormal thickening of the skin localized to the palm of the hand and the sole of the foot.

Webbing or fusion of the toes, involving soft parts only or including bone structure. Bony fusions are referred to as "bony" Syndactyly if the fusion occurs in a radio-ulnar axis. Fusions of bones of the toes in a proximo-distal axis are referred to as "Symphalangism".

The distal and proximal transverse palmar creases are merged into a single transverse palmar crease.

The gradual reduction in girth of the finger from proximal to distal.

Hypoplasia (congenital reduction in size) of the thumb.

A toe that appears disproportionately short compared to the foot.

Absence or underdevelopment of the big toe.

Flattening of the superior part of the acetabulum, which is a cup-shaped cavity at the base of the hipbone into which the ball-shaped head of the femur fits. The acetabular roof thereby appears horizontal rather than arched, as it normally does.

Short distance from the end of the finger to the most distal interphalangeal crease or the distal interphalangeal joint flexion point. That is, hypoplasia of one or more of the distal phalanx of finger.

Aplasia of the hallux, that is, a development defect such that the big toe does not develop.

Abnormally short finger associated with developmental hypoplasia.

Diminished length of a metatarsal bone, with resultant proximal displacement of the associated toe.

Absence or underdevelopment of the distal phalanges.

A soft tissue continuity in the A/P axis between two digits that extends distally to at least the level of the proximal interphalangeal joints, or a soft tissue continuity in the A/P axis between two digits that lies significantly distal to the flexion crease that overlies the metacarpophalangeal or metatarsophalangeal joint of the adjacent digits.

The distal and proximal transverse palmar creases are merged into a single transverse palmar crease on both hands.

Hypoplasia of the second finger, also known as the index finger.

Absent thumb, i.e., the absence of both phalanges of a thumb and the associated soft tissues.

The gradual reduction in girth of the toe from proximal to distal.

Absence of the middle phalanx of the index (2nd) finger.

An angulation of a digit at an interphalangeal joint in the plane of the palm (finger) or sole (toe).

Failure of the foramen ovale to seal postnatally, leaving a potential conduit between the left and right cardiac atria.

An extra or unusual sound heard during a heartbeat caused vibrations resulting from the flow of blood through the heart.

A hole between the two bottom chambers (ventricles) of the heart. The defect is centered around the most superior aspect of the ventricular septum.

Each of the heart defects associated with CCHD affects the flow of blood into, out of, or through the heart. Some of the heart defects involve structures within the heart itself, such as the two lower chambers of the heart (the ventricles) or the valves that control blood flow through the heart. Others affect the structure of the large blood vessels leading into and out of the heart (including the aorta and pulmonary artery). Still others involve a combination of these structural abnormalities.\n\nSome people with treated CCHD have few related health problems later in life. However, long-term effects of CCHD can include delayed development and reduced stamina during exercise. Adults with these heart defects have an increased risk of abnormal heart rhythms, heart failure, sudden cardiac arrest, stroke, and premature death.\n\nAlthough babies with CCHD may appear healthy for the first few hours or days of life, signs and symptoms soon become apparent. These can include an abnormal heart sound during a heartbeat (heart murmur), rapid breathing (tachypnea), low blood pressure (hypotension), low levels of oxygen in the blood (hypoxemia), and a blue or purple tint to the skin caused by a shortage of oxygen (cyanosis). If untreated, CCHD can lead to shock, coma, and death. However, most people with CCHD now survive past infancy due to improvements in early detection, diagnosis, and treatment.\n\nCritical congenital heart disease (CCHD) is a term that refers to a group of serious heart defects that are present from birth. These abnormalities result from problems with the formation of one or more parts of the heart during the early stages of embryonic development. CCHD prevents the heart from pumping blood effectively or reduces the amount of oxygen in the blood. As a result, organs and tissues throughout the body do not receive enough oxygen, which can lead to organ damage and life-threatening complications. Individuals with CCHD usually require surgery soon after birth.\n\nPeople with CCHD have one or more specific heart defects. The heart defects classified as CCHD include coarctation of the aorta, double-outlet right ventricle, D-transposition of the great arteries, Ebstein anomaly, hypoplastic left heart syndrome, interrupted aortic arch, pulmonary atresia with intact septum, single ventricle, total anomalous pulmonary venous connection, tetralogy of Fallot, tricuspid atresia, and truncus arteriosus.

A myocardial disorder in which the heart muscle is structurally and functionally abnormal, in the absence of coronary artery disease, hypertension, valvular disease and congenital heart disease sufficient to cause the observed myocardial abnormality.

Pulmonary hypertension is defined mean pulmonary artery pressure of 25mmHg or more and pulmonary capillary wedge pressure of 15mmHg or less when measured by right heart catheterisation at rest and in a supine position.

An abnormal restriction of fetal growth with fetal weight below the tenth percentile for gestational age.

Smaller than normal size according to sex and gestational age related norms, defined as a weight below the 10th percentile for the gestational age.

A deficiency or slowing down of growth pre- and postnatally.

Impaired ability to eat related to problems gathering food and getting ready to suck, chew, or swallow it.

Pyloric stenosis, also known as infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis, is an uncommon condition in infants characterized by abnormal thickening of the pylorus muscles in the stomach leading to gastric outlet obstruction. Clinically infants are well at birth. Then, at 3 to 6 weeks of age, the infants present with projectile vomiting, potentially leading to dehydration and weight loss.

A type of hearing impairment in one or both ears related to an abnormal functionality of the cochlear nerve.

Underdevelopment of the external ear.

Upper insertion of the ear to the scalp below an imaginary horizontal line drawn between the inner canthi of the eye and extending posteriorly to the ear.

Reduced volume of the earlobe.

The presence of an abnormally prominent antihelix.

Laterally protruding ear that lacks antihelical folding (including absence of inferior and superior crura).

Angle formed by the plane of the ear and the mastoid bone greater than the 97th centile for age (objective); or, outer edge of the helix more than 2 cm from the mastoid at the point of maximum distance (objective).

A defect of development of the brain characterized by congenital absence of the part of the brain that includes the olfactory bulbs, tracts, and other structures associated with the sense of smell.

The corpus callosum is the largest fiber tract in the central nervous system and the major interhemispheric fiber bundle in the brain. Formation of the corpus callosum begins as early as 6 weeks' gestation, with the first fibers crossing the midline at 11 to 12 weeks' gestation, and completion of the basic shape by age 18 to 20 weeks (Schell-Apacik et al., 2008). Agenesis of the corpus callosum (ACC) is one of the most frequent malformations in brain with a reported incidence ranging between 0.5 and 70 in 10,000 births. ACC is a clinically and genetically heterogeneous condition, which can be observed either as an isolated condition or as a manifestation in the context of a congenital syndrome (see MOLECULAR GENETICS and Dobyns, 1996). Also see mirror movements-1 and/or agenesis of the corpus callosum (MRMV1; 157600). Schell-Apacik et al. (2008) noted that there is confusion in the literature regarding radiologic terminology concerning partial absence of the corpus callosum, where various designations have been used, including hypogenesis, hypoplasia, partial agenesis, or dysgenesis.

Cerebellar hypoplasia is a descriptive term implying a cerebellum with a reduced volume, but a normal shape and is stable over time.

Pachygyria is a malformation of cortical development with abnormally wide gyri with sulci 1,5-3 cm apart and abnormally thick cortex measuring more than 5 mm (radiological definition). See also neuropathological definitions for 2-, 3-, and 4-layered lissencephaly.

Underdevelopment of the corpus callosum.

A delay in the achievement of motor or mental milestones in the domains of development of a child, including motor skills, speech and language, cognitive skills, and social and emotional skills. This term should only be used to describe children younger than five years of age.

A severe delay in the achievement of motor or mental milestones in the domains of development of a child.

Underdevelopment of the vermis of cerebellum.

Underdevelopment of the frontal lobe of the cerebrum.

A proneness to anger, i.e., a tendency to become easily bothered or annoyed.

An abnormality of the hematopoietic system.

Displacement of the femur from its normal location in the hip joint.

Exaggerated anterior convexity of the thoracic vertebral column.

Developmental hypoplasia of the mandible.

Hypotonia is an abnormally low muscle tone (the amount of tension or resistance to movement in a muscle). Even when relaxed, muscles have a continuous and passive partial contraction which provides some resistance to passive stretching. Hypotonia thus manifests as diminished resistance to passive stretching. Hypotonia is not the same as muscle weakness, although the two conditions can co-exist.

An abnormality of skull shape characterized by a increased anterior-posterior diameter, i.e., an increased antero-posterior dimension of the skull. Cephalic index less than 76%. Alternatively, an apparently increased antero-posterior length of the head compared to width. Often due to premature closure of the sagittal suture.

An abnormally increased width of the cranial sutures for age-related norms (generally resulting from delayed closure).

Reduced length of the clavicles.

A reduction in the magnitude or amount of ossification of the skull.

In newborns, the two frontal bones, two parietal bones, and one occipital bone are joined by fibrous sutures, which form a small posterior fontanelle, and a larger, diamond-shaped anterior fontanelle. These regions allow for the skull to pass the birth canal and for later growth. The fontanelles gradually ossify, whereby the posterior fontanelle usually closes by eight weeks and the anterior fontanelle by the 9th to 16th month of age. Large fontanelles are diagnosed if the fontanelles are larger than age-dependent norms.

Abnormal reduction in ossification of the calvaria (roof of the skull consisting of the frontal bone, parietal bones, temporal bones, and occipital bone).

Reduced convexity of the occiput (posterior part of skull).

Underdeveloped scapula.

Low set, steeply sloping shoulders.

Lack of formation of mineralized bony tissue of the sternum.

Parietal bossing is a marked prominence in the parietal region.

Absence of the clavicles as a developmental defect.

Delayed maturation and calcification of the rami (branches) of the pubic bone.

Abnormality of the morphology (structure) of the calvaria (skullcap), that is, of that part of the skull that is made up of the superior portions of the frontal bone, occipital bone, and parietal bones and covers the cranial cavity that contains the brain.

Head circumference below 2 standard deviations below the mean for age and gender.

Pneumonia due to the aspiration (breathing in) of food, liquid, or gastric contents into the upper respiratory tract.

A type of crying in an abnormally high-pitched voice.

Height of the palate more than 2 SD above the mean (objective) or palatal height at the level of the first permanent molar more than twice the height of the teeth (subjective).

Loss of the primary (also known as deciduous) teeth before the usual age.

The palpebral fissure inclination is more than two standard deviations above the mean for age (objective); or, the inclination of the palpebral fissure is greater than typical for age.

Height of the vermilion of the medial part of the lip more than 2 SD below the mean, or apparently reduced height of the vermilion of the lip in the frontal view. The vermilion is the red part of the lips (and confusingly, the vermilion itself is also often referred to as being equivalent the lips).

Epicanthus is a condition in which a fold of skin stretches from the upper to the lower eyelid, partially covering the inner canthus. Usher (1935) noted that epicanthus is a normal finding in the fetus of all races. Epicanthus also occurs in association with hereditary ptosis (110100).

Decreased density/number of eyebrow hairs.

Anteriorly-facing nostrils viewed with the head in the Frankfurt horizontal and the eyes of the observer level with the eyes of the subject. This gives the appearance of an upturned nose (upturned nasal tip).

Excess skin around the neck, often lying in horizontal folds.

Decreased width of the upper lip.

Decreased number of hairs per unit area of skin of the scalp.

Distance between nasal base and midline upper lip vermilion border more than 2 SD below the mean. Alternatively, an apparently decreased distance between nasal base and midline upper lip vermilion border.

Height of the vermilion of the upper lip in the midline more than 2 SD below the mean. Alternatively, an apparently reduced height of the vermilion of the upper lip in the frontal view (subjective).

Congenital anonychia is defined as the absence of fingernails and toenails. Anonychia and its milder phenotypic variant, hyponychia, usually occur as a feature of genetic syndromes, in association with significant skeletal and limb anomalies. Isolated nonsyndromic congenital anonychia/hyponychia is a rare entity that usually follows autosomal recessive inheritance with variable expression, even within a given family. The nail phenotypes observed range from no nail field to a nail field of reduced size with an absent or rudimentary nail (summary by Bruchle et al., 2008). This form of nail disorder is referred to here as nonsyndromic congenital nail disorder-4 (NDNC4). For a list of other nonsyndromic congenital nail disorders and a discussion of genetic heterogeneity, see NDNC1 (161050).

Decreased density/number of eyelashes.

Absence of a fingernail.

Aplasia or developmental hypoplasia of the nail.

The presence of excess amniotic fluid in the uterus during pregnancy.

The abnormal accumulation of fluid in two or more fetal compartments, including ascites, pleural effusion, pericardial effusion, and skin edema.

The birth of a baby of less than 37 weeks of gestational age.

Congenital failure to develop, and absence of, the nipple.

Underdevelopment of the nipple.

An eye that is protruding anterior to the plane of the face to a greater extent than is typical.

Although hypertelorism means an excessive distance between any paired organs (e.g., the nipples), the use of the word has come to be confined to ocular hypertelorism. Hypertelorism occurs as an isolated feature and is also a feature of many syndromes, e.g., Opitz G syndrome (see 300000), Greig cephalopolysyndactyly (175700), and Noonan syndrome (163950) (summary by Cohen et al., 1995).

A cataract is an opacity or clouding that develops in the crystalline lens of the eye or in its capsule.

A congenital anomaly in which a part or the whole of the cornea acquires the characteristics of sclera, resulting in clouding of the cornea.