ACROCEPHALOSYNDACTYLY

also called Apert's Syndrome congenital malformation of the skeleton, affecting the skull, hands, and feet, first described by the French pediatrician Eugne Apert. The head is shortened front-to-back and appears pointed (acrocephaly) because of premature closing of the cranial sutures between the individual bones that make up the skull. The bones and skin of the hands and feet are fused (syndactyly), reducing the normal complement of fingers and toes; in some cases, all five digits may fuse. The skull deformity causes the eyes to appear to bulge because the orbits are shallower than normal. See also craniosynostosis.