title: Putative monosomy 21 in two patients: clinical findings and investigation using fluorescence in situ hybridization.
abstract: Complete monosomy 21 is claimed to be a rare chromosomal disorder in which the cytogenetic investigation is bedevilled by technical difficulties. We describe the disparate clinical features in two patients in whom an initial diagnosis of monosomy 21 was made by routine karyotyping. Fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) confirmed a translocation of chromosome 21 material to the short arm of chromosome 5 and to the X chromosome, respectively. The usefulness of FISH in the investigation of subtle chromosomal rearrangements is hereby demonstrated. These findings also cast doubt on the existence of "pure" monosomy 21 as an entity, and suggest that partial monosomy 21 is a more likely occurrence.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Genetics, University of Cape Town Medical School, South Africa.
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Viljoen
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Speleman
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Smart
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Van Roy
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: du Toit
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Leroy
mesh_terms: D000015:Abnormalities, Multiple / Q000235:genetics*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002872:Chromosome Deletion; D002891:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 21; D002895:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 5; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006972:Hypertelorism / Q000235:genetics; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000235:genetics; D008831:Microcephaly / Q000235:genetics; D009006:Monosomy / Q000235:genetics*; D014178:Translocation, Genetic / Q000235:genetics*; D014960:X Chromosome