Our results obtained by a combination of different molecular techniques undoubtedly incriminate WWOX as a gene for recessive IEE and illustrate the usefulness of high throughput data mining for the identification of genes for rare autosomal recessive disorders. The structure of the WWOX locus encompassing the FRA16D fragile site might explain why constitutive deletions are recurrently reported in genetic databases, suggesting that WWOX-related encephalopathies, although likely rare, may not be exceptional.

This is the largest cohort of prenatal del22q11.2 diagnoses. As in postnatally diagnosed cases, HDs were the most frequently observed abnormalities. However, thymus and kidney abnormalities and polyhydramnios should also be screened for in the prenatal diagnosis of del22q11.2. Only the time of diagnosis appeared to be strongly associated with the pregnancy outcome: the earlier the diagnosis, the higher the TOP rate.

This study shows that array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) is particularly effective for identifying the molecular basis of the disease phenotype in fetuses with multiple anomalies. Our study should help to define clinical relevant regions that would need to be included in targeted arrays designed for prenatal testing.

Our study demonstrates the benefit of CMA in the etiological diagnosis of fetuses with isolated increased NT. It is worth noting that most (69%) of the detected pathogenic CNVs were cryptic. Copyright © 2017 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

WWOX has been recently implicated in autosomal recessive spinocerebellar ataxia type 12 (SCAR12) and severe early-onset epileptic encephalopathy (EOEE). By array comparative genomic hybridization, we identified a 0.6 Mb homozygous deletion in 16q23.1 in a fetus presenting with brain anomalies. His older sister who died at the age of 22 months from an EOEE was also homozygous for the copy number variations in 16q23.1. This deletion includes the first six exons of WWOX and results in a null genotype in homozygous patients. This family gives additional support for the implication of WWOX in severe EOEEs. We report for the first time prenatal ultrasound findings in a fetus with a WWOX-null genotype. Our study expands the range of brain abnormalities in WWOX-related EOEEs. This additional family confirms the genotype-phenotype correlation with WWOX-null alleles associated with the most severe form of WWOX-related epileptic encephalopathy with premature death.