Asymmetrical tetraphocomelia with radiohumeral synostosis.

Ann Saudi Med 2006;26(4):318-320 Amelia is the complete absence of a limb, which may occur in isolation or as part of multiple congenital malformations.1-3 The condition is uncommon and very little is known with certainty about the etiology. Whatever the cause, however, it results from an event which must have occurred between the fourth and eighth week of embryogenesis.1,3 The causal factors that have been proposed include amniotic band disruption,4 maternal diabetes,5 autosomal recessive mutation6 and drugs such as thalidomide,7 alcohol8 and cocaine.9 We report a case of a female baby with a complex combination of two rare limb abnormalities: left-sided humero-radial synostosis and amelia of the other limbs.