A Case of Perinatal Varicella Infection

Maternal varicella resulting in viremia may transmit the virus to the fetus by either transplacental spread, or by ascending infection from lesion in the birth canal. The characteristic symptoms consist of skin lesions in dermatomal distribution, eye diseases, neurological defects, and limb hypoplasia. Varicella of the newborn is a life-threatening illness that may occur when a newborn is delivered either within five days of the onset of the illness or after postdelivery exposure to varicella. The severity of neonatal disease is dependent upon the timing of maternal illness. The clinical approach to varicella of newborns should emphasize prevention. Our patient was the first child of a 31-year- old mother who had varicella-zoster ten days before delivery. The child showed muscular hypotonia, poor feeding but no skin lesions.

A Case of Craniofrontonasal Dysplasia Diagnosed at Birth

Craniofrontonasal dysplasia(CFND), a rare congenital syndrome, is characterized by varying degrees of frontonasal dysplasia, craniosynostosis, and variable extracranial abnormalities. It was first reported by Cohen in 1979. The inheritance pattern is not straightforward. Although all modes of Mendelian inheritance have been suggested, the most plausible explanation is that this is an X-linked condition with the unusual situation of complete expression in females, and minimal to no expression in males. In our case, CFND was diagnosed in a female neonate who had unilateral coronal craniosynostosis, frontal bossing, orbital hypertelorism, broad nasal root, clefting nasal tip, corpus callosum agenesis and mild extremity abnormalities.