Hypotonic infant with Pallister–Killian syndrome diagnosed by cytogenetic microarray, without pigmentary skin changes and malformations

ABSTRACT

Pallister–Killian syndrome (PKS) is a rare genetic developmental disorder characterized, by intellectual disability, seizures, streaks of hypo- or hyperpigmentation and characteristic dysmorphic features. PKS is characterized by the presence of cytogenetic abnormality in form of a supernumerary isochromosome 12p, in a tissue limited mosaicism. The isochromosome 12p is usually not detected in karyotype done from peripheral blood. Presence of patchy pigmentary skin lesions suggest the possibility of mosaicism and karyotype from skin is done which clinches the diagnosis. We describe an infant with severe hypotonia in whom trisomy 12p was detected by chromosomal microarray performed on peripheral blood. The karyotype from blood was normal and combining this information with three copies of 12p in microarray suggests the possibility of tetrasomy12p in mosaic form. The infant did not have any skin patchy pigmentary changes and malformations and hence, the diagnosis of PKS was not clinically suspected. Cytogenetic microarray is the first test for evaluation of cases with developmental delay and intellectual disability, PKS diagnosis may come as a surprise in unsuspected cases without characteristic skin pigmentary abnormality and malformations.