Klippel-Feil anomaly

X-rays show extensive fusion of bodies and deformity of cervical vertebrae and hypoplastic dense suggestive of extensive Type 1 Klippel-Feil anomaly. Klippel-Feil syndrome {KFS} is a rare and complex disorder that is mainly characterized by congenital fusion of the cervical vertebrae with a short neck, limitation of the movement of the head or neck and a low posterior hairline. This syndrome is a result of failure of the normal segmentation of the cervical somites during the 3rd to 8th weeks of gestation. Its incidence is estimated as 1:40,000-42,000. Type 1 is characterized by cervical spine fusion in which elements of many vertebrae are incorporated into a single block. Type 2 has cervical spine fusion in which there is failure of complete segmentation at only one or two cervical levels and may include an occipito-atlantal fusion. Type 3 has Type 1 or type 2 fusion with co-existing segmentation errors in the lower dorsal or lumbar spine

E-published: February 2009, Vol 6 Issue 2 Art # 10