Prenatal diagnosis of recurrent hypoplastic left heart syndrome associated with MYH6 variants: a case report

Background: Hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) is a rare but genetically complex and clinically and anatomically severe form of congenital heart disease (CHD).

Case presentation: Here, we report on the use of rapid prenatal whole-exome sequencing for the prenatal diagnosis of a severe case of neonatal recurrent HLHS caused by heterozygous compound variants in the MYH6 gene inherited from the (healthy) parents. MYH6 is known to be highly polymorphic; a large number of rare and common variants have variable effects on protein levels. We postulated that two hypomorphic variants led to severe CHD when associated in trans; this was consistent with the autosomal recessive pattern of inheritance. In the literature, dominant transmission of MYH6-related CHD is more frequent and is probably linked to synergistic heterozygosity or the specific combination of a single, pathogenic variant with common MYH6 variants.

Conclusions: The present report illustrates the major contribution of whole-exome sequencing (WES) in the characterization of an unusually recurrent fetal disorder and considered the role of WES in the prenatal diagnosis of disorders that do not usually have a genetic etiology.