Autosomal recessive Peters anomaly, typical facial appearance, failure to thrive, hydrocephalus, and other anomalies: further delineation of the Krause-Kivlin syndrome.

Two cousins and an unrelated patient, all offspring of consanguineous parents, presented with Peters anomaly, unusual facial appearance, disproportionate short stature, retarded skeletal maturation, and a variable degree of mental retardation. Variable digital, cardiac, CNS, and urogenital anomalies were present. The inheritance is probably autosomal recessive. The condition is a distinct clinical entity for which we suggest the eponym Krause-Kivlin syndrome. Peters anomaly is thought to result from abnormal migration of neural crest cells. A similar mechanism was implicated in the pathogenesis of other disorders of the anterior chamber. The presence of Peters anomaly, and possibly of other corneal endothelial disorders in a newborn infant, should alert the clinician to the possibility of this syndrome. Communicating hydrocephalus (or brain atrophy) and polyhydramnios were documented in two patients, potentially allowing prenatal diagnosis in secondary familial cases.