A newborn has respiratory distress worsened by supine positioning, with retraction and stridor. Examination shows a small lower jaw with the tongue displaced posteriorly, and a cleft of the soft palate. The infant improves when placed prone. This triad of findings constitutes which sequence?

• A Pierre Robin sequence ✓
• B Goldenhar sequence
• C Treacher Collins syndrome
• D CHARGE association

Explanation

Pierre Robin sequence is defined by micrognathia, glossoptosis, and airway obstruction, frequently accompanied by a U-shaped cleft soft palate. The small mandible causes the tongue to fall back and obstruct the airway, which is why symptoms improve in the prone position. Treacher Collins and Goldenhar involve broader craniofacial malformations with ear and eye anomalies, and CHARGE adds coloboma, heart defects, choanal atresia, and genital and ear abnormalities.

Reference: Jones' Smith's Recognizable Patterns of Human Malformation, 7th ed.

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.