View source for Cri du chat syndrome

=== Clinical picture and prognosis ===
Newborns usually have [[Low birth weight newborns|a low birth weight]] and generally do not thrive. '''Microcephaly''' and various forms of facial deformities are evident (moon-shaped face, [[epicanths]] , hypertelorism, small lower jaw, malformations of the auricles). [[Congenital defects of internal organs]], especially the heart, are also common. Individuals are significantly '''psychomotor retarded'''. The cry, reminiscent of a cat's meow, is caused by insufficient development of the [[Larynx, trachea and bronchi - structure and function|larynx]] at an early age. Over time, this sound is modified. Affected people usually have a normal life expectancy. Early diagnosis allows the use of therapeutic methods for the development of mental and motor skills.