Abstract
In 1974, PENA and SHOKEIR first described alethal syndrome consisting of facial anomalies(flat and depressed nasal tip, micro- and retro-gnathia, malformed and low-set ears, hypertelo-rism), multiple ankyloses, pulmonary hypoplasiaand camptodactyly. Since then more than 60patients with the Pena-Shokeir sequence havebeen described.In addition to the lesions mentioned above, thefollowing signs were present in most cases: Still-birth or death during delivery or within a fewdays after birth, intrauterine growth retardation,cryptorchidism, polyhydramnios, abnormal pla-centa and short umbilical cord. Familial caseshave been reported.Major congenital malformations of inner organs,however, have been diagnosed in only a fewcases.Pena-Shokeir sequence is now regarded as a he-terogeneous sequence, in which different neuro-muscular lesions may play an important patho-genetic role.In our eight patients with the characteristic find-ings of the Pena-Shokeir sequence an attemptwas made to define more clearly the nature ofskeletal muscular changes observed.