Early diagnosis of Malan syndrome in an infant presenting with macrocephaly.

We present an infant with persistent macrocephaly and developmental delay. There is a wide range of differential diagnoses for this presentation, including many rare genetic conditions. Here, a diagnosis of Malan syndrome was made-a rare overgrowth syndrome caused by haploinsufficiency of NFIX and features affecting the neurological and musculoskeletal systems. Improvements in genomic medicine technologies and clinical services have revolutionised the way clinicians diagnose rare diseases. We highlight the importance of early genetic testing, particularly if there are red flag features such as developmental delay, and the need for a coordinated strategy to improve the management of rare diseases like Malan syndrome.

Myocardial Function Following Repair of Anomalous Origin of Left Coronary Artery from the Pulmonary Artery in Children.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to assess the change in global and regional myocardial function before and after surgical revascularization and their added value when compared with conventional measures in children with anomalous left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery (ALCAPA). METHODS: Advanced echocardiographic assessment was performed pre- and postoperatively in 22 children with ALCAPA (eight male; median surgery age, 0.4 years; interquartile range, 0.21-1.05) and 22 healthy controls. Measurements included global and segmental longitudinal, radial, and circumferential two-dimensional speckle-tracking strain and postsystolic index. RESULTS: Global strains were lower in preoperative patients than in controls (longitudinal: -9% vs -21%; P < .001; circumferential: -11% vs -21%; P < .001; radial: 18% vs 60%; P < .001) and improved postoperatively when compared with preoperative findings (longitudinal: -9% pre vs -16% post; P = .002, circumferential:-11% pre vs -17% post; P = .012, radial: 18% pre vs 53% post; P = .001). Preoperatively, patients with normal global systolic function on conventional echocardiography had significantly impaired global longitudinal and radial strain compared with healthy controls. Global mechanical dyssynchrony improved significantly postoperatively (longitudinal postsystolic index 43 pre vs 6 post, P < .001; circumferential 15 pre vs 2 post, P = .001; radial 48 pre vs 5 post, P = .003). Despite overall improvement in most segments, global longitudinal and circumferential and segmental peak strain in some of the segments supplied by the ALCAPA remained postoperatively abnormal. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that myocardial deformation indices were a more sensitive measure of LV dysfunction in patients before and after ALCAPA repair than conventional echocardiographic measures. We believe, therefore, they should be added to routine preoperative and serial postoperative follow-up assessment.