In this study, we have identified and evaluated the cardiovascular anomalies associated with Williams-Beuren syndrome in children.In a retrospective, lineal, and observational study, we reviewed the files of children who were seen from 1980 through 2005 (25 years) after a clinical diagnosis of Williams-Beuren syndrome.Forty children were diagnosed with this syndrome at the National Institute of Pediatrics in Mexico City. Of these, 32 (80%) were found to have congenital heart defects. The male-to-female ratio was 1.3:1 and ages ranged from 6 months to 15 years (mean, 4.4 years) at the time of diagnosis. All of the patients had morphologic and genetic characteristics typical of the syndrome.We emphasize the cardiovascular aspects from a clinical point of view. Supravalvular aortic stenosis was our most frequent finding, in 18 of 32 patients (56%); gradient differences in these patients ranged from 14 to 81 mmHg. Five patients showed combined lesions, the most frequent being supravalvular aortic stenosis in combination with pulmonary artery brachial stenosis, or with atrial and ventricular defects. Patients with incomplete atrioventricular defect and bicuspid aortic valve, as were seen at our hospital, have not to our knowledge been reported in other studies.One of the patients was scheduled for balloon dilation; another was scheduled for surgery; a 3rd patient was operated on twice for the placement of an aorto-aortic bridge; another underwent ventricular septal defect closure; and yet another underwent aortoplasty, this last dying shortly after surgery.
Keywords: Aortic coarctation; Mexico/epidemiology; Williams syndrome; aortic valve stenosis, supravalvular; child; elastin/genetics; face/abnormalities; facial expression; gene deletion; heart defects, congenital/diagnosis; hypercalcemia; mental retardation; psychomotor performance.