Mental retardation, deafness, skeletal abnormalities, and coarse face with full lips: confirmation of the Fountain syndrome.

We describe 3 moderately to severely mentally retarded males (2 brothers and 1 isolated patient) with congenital deafness due to an anatomical inner ear anomaly, the same manifestations that were present in the 4 sibs reported by Fountain [1974]: skeletal abnormalities with broad, stubby hands and feet and hyperkyphosis, and a peculiar "coarse" face with swelling of the subcutaneous tissue, particularly of cheeks and lips. According to the present observations early-onset, generalized seizures can be added to the symptom complex of this autosomal recessive trait.