Minor dysmorphologies of the face in the neonate are well accepted indicators of increased risk for impaired functions in central nervous system or for major malformation. About one-fourth of neonates at Howard University Hospital have been exposed to potential teratogens. Some of these yield developmental delays and minor face dysmorphologies. Clinical decisions about the letter typically are subject to high ovservor variability. There is need for a sensitive and objective method by which to decide which neonates are at risk for developmental delays. The goals of this study are to establish quantitative norms for 23 selected morphometric landmarks on the faces of African American neonates, and to test for potential shifts in such lnadmarks in response to alcohol and other teratogens to which these infants were exposed. Face photographs will be obtained on 1500 - 1700 unselected neonates and prenatal medical and teratogen histories recorded through screening interviews of their mothers. Measurements of distances among selected pairs of the 23 landmarks on the photographs will be analyzed by triangles defined by sets of three landmarks. The X, Y coordinates of the vertex landmark of each triangle will be tested by an F statistic for clustering according to each of the teratogen unexposed and exposed classes of infants.
Showing the most recent 10 out of 17 publications
