The family consisted of 13 subjects, 9 males and 4 females. Pedigree analysis revealed autosomal recessive inheritance. Molecular screening of SOST gene detected a nonsense homozygous mutation p.Gln24X (c.70C>T) in the proband, and a heterozygous mutation in 9 siblings (Figure 1).
Patients
Clinical characteristics of patients and disease carriers are summarized in Table 1. The proband, a middle age male, complained of chronic refractory headaches associated with transient visual disturbances, tinnitus, dizziness, snoring and daytime sleepiness from the age of 20. At the age of 5 he suffered from bilateral facial nerve paralysis. Neurosensory hearing loss and left eye blindness occurred a few years later. The clinical evaluation indicated a height of 1.70 m and a weight of 97.1 kg with a body mass index of 33.6 kg/m2. It also showed bilateral exophthalmos, marked enlargement of the mandible and a frontal bossing. Routine serum analysis, electrolytes, hormonal evaluation were all normal.
Another middle age male had facial deformities and complained of similar disorders. He reported unilateral hearing loss and bilateral paralysis of the facial nerve since childhood. From the age of 20 he complained of severe chronic headache and night snoring.
CT images of the skull obtained with high-spatial-resolution bone algorithm revealed thickening of the calvarium, skull base and mandible, and narrowing of the optic canals, internal auditory meatus, facial nerve canals, and vascular foramina. The mastoid cells were not aerated (Figure 2 C). Hyperostosis of the orbital walls reduced intraorbital volume and led to a slight proptosis. Brain MRI displayed depletion of subarachnoid spaces, empty sella turcica, flattening of posterior aspect of the globes, distension of the optic nerve sheaths, and cerebellar tonsillar descent below the level of the foramen magnum. Cerebral MRI venography showed a global engorgement of the suboccipital plexus with evidence of superficial temporal and retromandibular temporal veins, absence of right transverse sinus and left transverse sinus flow gap, suggesting an intracranial venous hypertension; 3D Volume Rendering of MR venography exhibited the presence of transosseous occipital venous collateral indicating an intracranial-extracranial cerebral venous drainage. (Figure 2 B and D).
One-hour lumbar CSF pressure monitoring through spinal needle revealed an elevated CSF pressure (opening pressure 370 mmH2O, mean pressure 264 mmH2O) indicating an intracranial hypertension (IH). At the end of the short pressure monitoring a CSF subtraction of about 20 ml was carried out which produced a normalization of the closing pressure. Polysomnographic testing confirmed an obstructive pattern of sleep apnea (apnea-hypopnea index of 15). The patient began therapy with acetazolamide 1000 mg/day, and ventilatory therapy with the Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Device (CPAP), which produced an improvement of symptoms.
Disease carriers
Facial alterations such as enlarged jaw and frontal bossing were present in 6 of 9 disease carriers, and were more pronounced in adults. In addition, two had a radial deviation of the phalanges of the last two fingers. Seven individuals complained of severe episodic or chronic headaches. Five out of nine also had night snoring from early childhood. Headache and snoring had become more severe in adulthood.
CT scans of the skull in the bone window of 2 symptomatic heterozygotes showed a slight thickening of the calvarium mainly in the occipital region with a prominence of the external occipital protuberance in the adult individual, while the child had normal CT results (Figure 3 B and C).
Table 1. Neurologic features of patients with sclerosteosis and disease carriers.
Subjects
Sex/ years
|
Genetic status
|
Age at Onset and first clinical manifestation
|
Clinical features
|
Progression
|
Findings
|
F/ 66
|
Heterozygous
|
20 years
Headache
|
Enlarged mandible, radial deviation of phalanges, chronic headache, snoring
|
stable
|
Snoring
|
M/ 67
|
Heterozygous
|
30 years
Headache
|
Enlarged mandible, frontal bossing, episodic headache, snoring
|
stable
|
Snoring
|
M/ 43
|
Refused genetic test
|
4 years
Bilateral facial nerve palsy
|
Bilateral exophthalmos, enlarged mandible, frontal bossing, unilateral hearing loss, bilateral facial nerve palsy, chronic headache with postural variations, tinnitus, transient visual disturbances, vertigo, snoring
|
Multiple cranial nerve palsy onset in the first 2 decades, chronic headache and snoring since the III decade, stable since the IV decade
|
Snoring
|
M/ 40
|
Heterozygous
|
30 years
Chronic headache
|
Enlarged mandible, frontal bossing, chronic headache
|
stable
|
Unknown
|
F/ 41
|
Heterozygous
|
NA
|
Enlarged mandible, radial deviation of phalanges
|
stable
|
Unknown
|
M/ 39
|
Homozygous
|
5 years
Bilateral facial nerve palsy
|
Bilateral exophthalmos, enlarged mandible, frontal bossing, unilateral blindness, unilateral sensorineural hearing loss, bilateral facial nerve palsy, chronic headache with postural variations, tinnitus, transient visual disturbances, vertigo, snoring
|
Multiple cranial nerve palsy onset in the first 2 decades, chronic headache and snoring progressive worsening up to time of observation, stable since the age of 37
|
Intracranial hypertension, OSAS,
cerebral venous hypertension
|
M/ 28
|
Heterozygous
|
12 years
headache and snoring
|
Enlarged mandible, chronic headache, snoring
|
Worsening of headache
|
Snoring
|
F/ 31
|
Wild-type
|
NA
|
Normal appearance of the skull
|
NA
|
NA
|
M/ 5
|
Wild-type
|
NA
|
Normal appearance of the skull
|
NA
|
NA
|
M/ 15
|
Heterozygous
|
8 years
Headache
|
Episodic headache
|
stable
|
Unknown
|
M/ 6
|
Heterozygous
|
5 years
Headache and snoring
|
Episodic headache, snoring
|
stable
|
Snoring
|
F/ 4 months
|
Heterozygous
|
NA
|
Normal appearance of the skull
|
NA
|
NA
|
M/ 5
|
Heterozygous
|
5 years
snoring
|
Enlarged mandible, episodic headache, snoring
|
Worsening of snoring
|
Snoring
|
NA: not applicable