Iniencephaly
| Iniencephaly | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Iniencephaly clausus |
| Iniencephaly showing a stargazing head and an enlarged skull | |
| Symptoms | Neural malformations |
| Usual onset | Congenital |
| Duration | Long term |
| Types | Iniencephaly apertus, Iniencephaly clausus |
| Causes | Unknown |
| Diagnostic method | Prenatal screening |
| Differential diagnosis | Klippel–Feil syndrome |
| Prevention | Prenatal screening |
| Treatment | None |
| Medication | None |
| Prognosis | Invariably fatal |
| Frequency | Rare |
Iniencephaly is a rare type of cephalic disorder characterised by three common characteristics: a defect to the occipital bone, spina bifida of the cervical vertebrae and retroflexion (backward bending) of the head on the cervical spine. Stillbirth is the most common outcome, with a few rare examples of live birth, after which death invariably occurs within a short time.
The disorder was first described by Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire in 1836. The name is derived from the Ancient Greek word ἰνίον inion, for the occipital bone/nape of the neck.