A rare case of primary ciliary dyskinesia with Kartagener抯 syndrome - A case report

ABSTRACT

Primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) is an autosomal recessive hereditary disease that includes various forms of ciliary ultrastructural defects. The most serious form is Kartagener syndrome (KS), which accounts for 50% of all cases of PCD. Kartagener?s syndrome is a rare disorder and the prevalence is about 1 in 30,000. It is autosomal recessive ciliary disorder comprising the triad of situs inversus totalis, chronic sinusitis, and bronchiectasis. The defective movement of cilia leads to recurrent respiratory infections, and ear/ nose/ throat infections, and infertility. The diagnosis is made clinically and confirmed through electron microscopy, which reveals abnormalities of structural organization of the axoneme in cilia from respiratory epithelia and in spermatozoa. Underlying structural defects include 1) absent inner and/or outer dynein arms, 2) tubular defects, and 3) radial spoke defects. We hereby report a rare case of Kartagener?s syndrome, in an infertile male with immotile sperms. The clinician should have a high index of suspicion, so as to make an early diagnosis. An early diagnosis helps in making the options for timely treatment of infertility may be offered and unnecessary evaluation is avoided.