[Associated morphological anomalies of the face and brain in infants].

Thirty-nine malformations and morphological abnormalities of the brain are analysed among a group of 300 children presenting facial malformations or dysembryoplasias (13%) between 1979 and 1986. Holoprosencephaly was discovered associated with bilateral labiomaxillary cleft in 25% of cases and an abnormality of brain stem was observed in 13% of cases with maxillo-mandibular dysostosis. This high incidence, due to the bias of hospital recruitment, confirms the recent experimental studies on embryonic development demonstrating the common neural origin of the face and brain, between which there is a topographic correspondence. To the nasofronto-premaxillary structures corresponds the whole prosencephalon and to the maxillo-mandibular areas correspond the brain stem and its nerves. The demonstration of the neural crest's role in the morphogenesis of the facial mesenchyme, the meninges and the nerves further confirms these associations of malformations in phacomatoses or neurocristopathies. Thus, the face appears as a marker of the development of the brain.