Cleft Palate, Velocardiofacial Syndrome,
Velocardiofacial syndrome (VCFS) is a disorder that has been associated with over thirty different features. (A disease or disorder that has more than one identifying feature or symptom is a syndrome.) The name velocardiofacial syndrome comes from the Latin words "velum" meaning palate, "cardia" meaning heart and "facies" having to do with the face. Not all of these identifying features are found in each child who is born with VCFS. The most common features are cleft palate (opening in the roof of the mouth), heart defects, characteristic facial appearance, minor learning problems and speech and feeding problems.

Although VCFS is the most common syndrome associated with a cleft palate, it was not recognized until 1978, at which time Dr. Robert J. Shprintzen of the Center for Craniofacial Disorders at the Montefiore Medical Center in Bronx, New York, described 12 children with the disorder. Most or all of these first 12 children were born with a cleft palate, heart defects and similar faces. VCFS may also be known as Shprintzen syndrome, DiGeorge syndrome, Craniofacial syndrome or Conotruncal Anomaly Unusual Face Syndrome.

Content Courtesy : www.nidcd.nih.gov
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