Klippel-Feil Syndrome

Alright folks. Here is something interesting and cool looking, but not cool for the patient. I am going to talk about Klippel-Feil Syndrome which is a condition where portions of the spine fuses together. There are three different classifications of Klippel-Feil Syndrome. Type one is when all of the cervical vertebrae and the upper thoracic vertebra are fused together. Type two Klippel-Feil Syndrome is where there are a few cervical vertebrae that are fused together, and Type three Klippel-Feil Syndrome is when there is also thoracic and Lumbar fusion along with the cervical vertebrae. This is commonly found with individuals who are born with this condition.

SYMPTOMS OF KLIPPEL-FEIL SYNDROME

There are three main symptoms that seem to be apparent with individuals who have Klippel-Feil syndrome. These individuals will have a low hair line, short neck, and a neck that has low mobility. Most of the times individuals who have this condition do not even know that they have it and it is found by incidental findings. For hose individuals who have severe cases of Klippel-Feil syndrome will come in with wry neck, which is abnormal twisting of the neck to one side or the other, sometimes with twitching. Patients will also present with severe abnormalities of the urinary system and some neurological symptoms of numbness, tingling or or weakness due to the vertebrae may be impeding on the nerves and vessels of the spine. Klippel-Feil syndrome is believed to occur during the eighth week of gestation and so that is why physicians belive that there is a relationship with individuals who have Klippel-Feil syndrome and abnormalities of the urinary system.

TREATMENT

For these individuals most of the time treatment will not be needed, however for those individuals with severe cases, they might need surgery to fix the cervical fusion, which will release any pressure that might be impeding on the vessels of the neck or nerves. Physical Therapy is also an option that can aid in the mobility of the neck.