Waardenburg syndrome
Definition
Waardenburg syndrome (WS) encompasses several different hereditary disorders, the main features of which variably include abnormal pigmentation, hearing loss, and a subtle difference in facial features. Certain other physical anomalies occur less frequently in WS.
Description
In 1951, Dr. Petrus Waardenburg reported a syndrome of dystopia canthorum, heterochromia of the irides, and hearing loss. Dystopia canthorum (also called telecanthus) describes a subtle but unusual facial feature in which the inner corners of the eyes (canthi) are spaced farther apart than normal, yet the eyes (pupils) themselves are normally spaced. The result is that the eyes appear to be widely spaced, even though they are not. Heterochromia means different-colored, and irides is the plural...
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