A Case of Trisomy 13 Mosaicism Presenting with a Severe Aortic Root Dilatation and Marfanoid Habitus due to an Unpredictable Cytogenetic Mechanism

Cytogenet Genome Res. 2020;160(2):72-79. doi: 10.1159/000506319. Epub 2020 Mar 18.

Abstract

In this report, we present a new case of mosaic trisomy 13 with prolonged survival, firstly detected by array-CGH analysis which was carried out because of moderate intellectual disability with postaxial hexadactyly, dermatologic features, ventricular septal defect, bicuspid aortic valve, and aortic dystrophy in a 19-year-old male patient. In a subset of 15% of the cells, the patient carried a derivative chromosome 10 generated by a nonreciprocal (10;13) translocation inherited from his healthy mother who carried the translocation in a balanced and homogeneous state. FISH analyses showed interstitial telomeric sequences at the breakpoints. To our knowledge, this is the second report of a patient with trisomy 13 mosaicism displaying a severe aortic root dilatation. We also discuss the mechanisms which could explain the mosaic state, the most likely one being related to the instability of the interstitial telomere.

Keywords: Bicuspid aortic valve; Interstitial telomere; Mosaicism; Translocation; Trisomy 13.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Aorta / abnormalities*
  • Chromosomes, Human, Pair 10 / genetics
  • Chromosomes, Human, Pair 13 / genetics
  • Comparative Genomic Hybridization
  • Humans
  • In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence
  • Male
  • Marfan Syndrome / etiology*
  • Mosaicism*
  • Translocation, Genetic
  • Trisomy 13 Syndrome / diagnosis*
  • Trisomy 13 Syndrome / genetics
  • Young Adult