Chorioretinal dysplasia, lymphedema, and microcephaly

Clinical Characteristics
Ocular Features: 

The congenital lymphedema results in thickened and ptotic eyelids with prominent epicanthal folds.  Congenital ptosis is not uncommon in the general population in the absence of lymphedema so that this feature by itself is insufficient to diagnose this syndrome.  Retinal folds with variable degrees of pigmentary changes are often present.  Narrowed retinal vessels, atrophic nerve heads and progressive chorioretinopathy have been reported.  Visual acuity is often reduced, sometimes severely, and nystagmus may be present.

Systemic Features: 

Coarse hair follicles over the dorsum of the hands and feet and white nails when combined with the thickened, ptotic eyelids suggest the presence of lymphedema.  The hair pattern is often altered on the arms, nape of the neck, and the back.  White lines in the palms are also suggestive.  The 'facial phenotype' includes full cheeks, flat nasal bridge and underdeveloped supraorbital ridges, up slanting palpebral fissures, broad nose with rounded tip, anteverted nares, and a long philtrum, thin upper lip, and sometimes micrognathia. The ears may appear large.  Children with this syndrome are often hypotonic during the newborn period but this feature is less evident later in childhood and improves more rapidly than the resolution of the lymphedema. The lymphedema usually improves during early childhood and is often confined to the dorsum of the hands and feet at that time.  Psychomotor development is variably delayed and some but not all patients are mentally retarded. Microcephaly is a consistent feature.

Not all features are present in all patients and, specifically, there are often microcephalic relatives who lack other signs.

Genetics

This is an autosomal dominant disorder which may consist of more than one entity but at least some cases result from heterozygous mutations in KIF11 (10q23.33).  The gene encodes a member of the kinesin family of proteins responsible for cytoplasmic mechanisms that are essential for spindle assembly and function as well in transportation of other intracellular organelles.  Mutations in this gene have also been implicated in familial exudative vitreoretinopathy (FEVR) and there is phenotypic overlap with the condition described here.

It is not unusual for microcephalic individuals to also have chorioretinal dysplasia and/or pigmentary retinopathy.  See microcephaly, chorioretinal dysplasia, mental retardation (156590), for a somewhat similar autosomal dominant condition, as well as microcephaly with chorioretinopathy, AR (251270) for an autosomal recessive condition with this combination.  Neither of these conditions is associated with congenital lymphedema, however.

Treatment
Treatment Options: 

No treatment is known.

References
Article Title: 

Phenotypic Overlap Between Familial Exudative Vitreoretinopathy and Microcephaly, Lymphedema, and Chorioretinal Dysplasia Caused by KIF11 Mutations

Robitaille JM, Gillett RM, LeBlanc MA, Gaston D, Nightingale M, Mackley MP, Parkash S, Hathaway J, Thomas A, Ells A, Traboulsi EI, Heon E, Roy M, Shalev S, Fernandez CV, MacGillivray C, Wallace K, Fahiminiya S, Majewski J, McMaster CR, Bedard K. Phenotypic Overlap Between Familial Exudative Vitreoretinopathy and Microcephaly, Lymphedema, and Chorioretinal Dysplasia Caused by KIF11 Mutations. JAMA Ophthalmol. 2014 Aug 14.

PubMed ID: 
25124931

Microcephaly with or without chorioretinopathy, lymphoedema, or mental retardation (MCLMR): review of phenotype associated with KIF11 mutations

Jones GE, Ostergaard P, Moore AT, Connell FC, Williams D, Quarrell O, Brady AF, Spier I, Hazan F, Moldovan O, Wieczorek D, Mikat B, Petit F, Coubes C, Saul RA, Brice G, Gordon K, Jeffery S, Mortimer PS, Vasudevan PC, Mansour S. Microcephaly with or without chorioretinopathy, lymphoedema, or mental retardation (MCLMR): review of phenotype associated with KIF11 mutations. Eur J Hum Genet. 2013 Nov 27.  [Epub ahead of print).

PubMed ID: 
24281367

Mutations in KIF11 Cause Autosomal-Dominant Microcephaly Variably Associated with Congenital Lymphedema and Chorioretinopathy

Ostergaard P, Simpson MA, Mendola A, Vasudevan P, Connell FC, van Impel A, Moore AT, Loeys BL, Ghalamkarpour A, Onoufriadis A, Martinez-Corral I, Devery S, Leroy JG, van Laer L, Singer A, Bialer MG, McEntagart M, Quarrell O, Brice G, Trembath RC, Schulte-Merker S, Makinen T, Vikkula M, Mortimer PS, Mansour S, Jeffery S. Mutations in KIF11 Cause Autosomal-Dominant Microcephaly Variably Associated with Congenital Lymphedema and Chorioretinopathy. Am J Hum Genet. 2012 Jan 24. [Epub ahead of print].

PubMed ID: 
22284827

References

Balikova I, Robson AG, Holder GE, Ostergaard P, Mansour S, Moore AT. Ocular manifestations of microcephaly with or without chorioretinopathy, lymphedema or intellectual disability (MCLID) syndrome associated with mutations in KIF11. Acta Ophthalmol. 2015 May 21. doi: 10.1111/aos.12759. [Epub ahead of print].

PubMedID: 25996076

Mears K, Bakall B, Harney LA, Penticoff JA, Stone EM. Autosomal Dominant Microcephaly Associated With Congenital Lymphedema and Chorioretinopathy Due to a Novel Mutation in KIF11. JAMA Ophthalmol. 2015 Mar 12. doi: 10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2015.199. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 25764055.

PubMedID: 25764055

Mirzaa GM, Enyedi L, Parsons G, Collins S, Medne L, Adams C, Ward T, Davitt B, Bicknese A, Zackai E, Toriello H, Dobyns WB, Christian S. Congenital microcephaly and chorioretinopathy due to de novo heterozygous KIF11 mutations: Five novel mutations and review of the literature. Am J Med Genet A. 2014 Aug 12.

PubMedID: 25115524

Robitaille JM, Gillett RM, LeBlanc MA, Gaston D, Nightingale M, Mackley MP, Parkash S, Hathaway J, Thomas A, Ells A, Traboulsi EI, Heon E, Roy M, Shalev S, Fernandez CV, MacGillivray C, Wallace K, Fahiminiya S, Majewski J, McMaster CR, Bedard K. Phenotypic Overlap Between Familial Exudative Vitreoretinopathy and Microcephaly, Lymphedema, and Chorioretinal Dysplasia Caused by KIF11 Mutations. JAMA Ophthalmol. 2014 Aug 14.

PubMedID: 25124931

Jones GE, Ostergaard P, Moore AT, Connell FC, Williams D, Quarrell O, Brady AF, Spier I, Hazan F, Moldovan O, Wieczorek D, Mikat B, Petit F, Coubes C, Saul RA, Brice G, Gordon K, Jeffery S, Mortimer PS, Vasudevan PC, Mansour S. Microcephaly with or without chorioretinopathy, lymphoedema, or mental retardation (MCLMR): review of phenotype associated with KIF11 mutations. Eur J Hum Genet. 2013 Nov 27.  [Epub ahead of print).

PubMedID: 24281367

Ostergaard P, Simpson MA, Mendola A, Vasudevan P, Connell FC, van Impel A, Moore AT, Loeys BL, Ghalamkarpour A, Onoufriadis A, Martinez-Corral I, Devery S, Leroy JG, van Laer L, Singer A, Bialer MG, McEntagart M, Quarrell O, Brice G, Trembath RC, Schulte-Merker S, Makinen T, Vikkula M, Mortimer PS, Mansour S, Jeffery S. Mutations in KIF11 Cause Autosomal-Dominant Microcephaly Variably Associated with Congenital Lymphedema and Chorioretinopathy. Am J Hum Genet. 2012 Jan 24. [Epub ahead of print].

PubMedID: 22284827

Vasudevan PC, Garcia-Minaur S, Botella MP, Perez-Aytes A, Shannon NL, Quarrell OW. Microcephaly-lymphoedema-chorioretinal dysplasia: three cases to delineate the facial phenotype and review of the literature. Clin Dysmorphol. 2005 Jul;14(3):109-16. Review.

PubMedID: 15930898

Fryns JP, Smeets E, Van den Berghe H. On the nosology of the "primary true microcephaly, chorioretinal dysplasia, lymphoedema" association. Clin Genet. 1995 Sep;48(3):131-3.

PubMedID: 8556819

Leung AK. Dominantly inherited syndrome of microcephaly and congenital lymphedema with normal intelligence. Am J Med Genet. 1987 Jan;26(1):231.

PubMedID: 3812569

Leung AK. Dominantly inherited syndrome of microcephaly and congenital lymphedema. Clin Genet. 1985 Jun;27(6):611-2.

PubMedID: 4017282