Dermatoglyphics of two fetuses with trisomy 21 diagnosed by amniocentesis

Abstract

SummaryDermatoglyphic examinations were undertaken on the dermal surfaces of two fetuses at the 20th and 22nd week, respectively, from the onset of the last menstrual periods. The fetuses were diagnosed as cases of trisomy 21 by amniocentesis, and abortions were induced.Although the dermatoglyphics of the fetus have been studied by some workers (Miller, 1968;Okajima, 1975), dermatoglyphic examinations have not been widely applied in fetuses with chromosomal anomalies. In a comprehensive study on spontaneous abortuses and stillbirths, Poland and Lowry (1974) observed dermatoglyphic features typical of some trisomies in three stillborn infants in which karyotyping was not successful. However, they recognized that dermatoglyphic analysis was difficult in many cases due to maceration of the skin. Recently, Suzumori (1980) reported his dermatoglyphic findings in five fetuses with different chromosomal aberrations karyotyped by amniocentesis.The present report describes the dermatoglyphic data obtained in two fetuses in which karyotypes were determined as trisomy 21 by amniocentesis. MATERIALS AND METHODSThe pregnancies were artificially terminated due to the results of karyotyping by amniocentesis at the 137th day from the onset of the last menstrual period in Case 1 and at the 152nd day in Case 2. The karyotypes of both fetuses were reaffirmed after abortion by the culture of skin fibroblasts. The fetuses were fixed with 10~ formalin after autopsy, and then the hands and feet were delivered to us for dermatoglyphic examination.

Development of dermal ridges in the volar skin of fetal pigtailed macaques (Macaca nemestrina)

“…The technique permits close inspection of the dermatoglyphic patterns over an entire volar suriace, as has been done in fetuses with chromosomal anomalies (Suzumori, 1980;Okajima et al, 1981). The studies cited previously and by Penrose and O'Hara (19731, examined only limited areas of the volar surface.…”

“…Of importance for this study were the techniques employed, particularly the modification of the alkaline solution treatment (Okajima, 1975(Okajima, , 1979(Okajima, , 1982Okajima et al, 1981). The technique requires the concentration, temperature, and timing of incubation in the potassium hydroxide solution to be finely correlated to the developmental stage of the fetus in order to achieve optimal results.…”

“…In most specimens, the epidermis was removed from the dermis as previously described (Okajima, 1975(Okajima, ,1982Okajima et al, 1981); others were treated with a modified procedure developed during the course of this study.…”

“…Investigators generally have used two methods for reconstruction of dermal ridge development: serial histologic sectioning for microscopy (Bonnevie, 1927(Bonnevie, , 1929Schaeuble, 1933;Hale, 1952;BlechSchmidt, 1963;Samandari, 1973;Babler, 1978Babler, ,1979 and exposure of the dermal-epidermal junction by mechanical (Hale, 1949) or chemical (Fleischhauer and Horstmann, 1951;Okajima, 1975;Okajima et al, 1981) abrasion of the epidermal tissue. Chacko and Vaidya (1968) examined the surface structure of papillary ridges on macerated volar skins from several mammalian species, including human and nonhuman primates.…”