Sudden death in childhood in a case of the G syndrome.

We report on the unexpected death at almost 8 years of a boy with the G syndrome who had successfully survived many prior life-threatening complications of the condition. The patient had a characteristic facial appearance, hypertelorism, second-degree hypospadias, stridor and cough on feeding with aspiration of barium, and uncoordinated esophageal swallowing mechanism, but no obvious laryngotracheobranchial defect on endoscopy (or coroner's autopsy). He had a prior cardiac arrest and had outgrown need for a tracheostomy. Aspiration is presumed to be the cause of death.