Histopathologic study of ocular changes in a syndrome of multiple congenital anomalies

We examined a 5-month-old boy who had an iris coloboma in the left eye, persistent hyaloid artery, macular hypoplasia, left aberrant nerve palsy, and bilateral blepharoptosis. He had microcephaly and bilateral corticospinal tract dysfunction. Additionally, he had brachycephaly, a high arched palate, hypoplasis, a malformed left external ear, and bilateral finger contractures. Computed tomography showed agenesis of the corpus callosum. He died at age 5 months. On histologic examination the left eye showed an iris coloboma, ciliary epithelial differentiation to the retina, undifferentiated neuroepithelium beneath the equatorial retina, persistent hyaloid artery, and optic nerve coloboma and pit. These findings may result from failure of the fetal fissure of the optic cup to close, with redundant folds of neuroepithelium and focal aberrant differentiation. The constellation of developmental defects indicates that an insult occurred during the sixth week of gestation.