Clinical Description
Fukuyama congenital muscular dystrophy (FCMD) is characterized by dystrophic changes in the skeletal muscle and by CNS migration disturbances resulting in cerebral and cerebellar cortical dysplasia. The clinical features are hypotonia, weakness, and psychomotor retardation. Mild, typical, and severe phenotypes are recognized. The phenotypic spectrum ranges from a Walker-Warburg syndrome (WWS)-like phenotype at the severe end [Manzini et al 2008, Chang et al 2009, Yis et al 2011] to a limb-girdle muscular dystrophy-like phenotype at the mild end [Puckett et al 2009, Yis et al 2011, Fiorillo et al 2013].
Disease onset typically occurs in early infancy. Initial symptoms include poor suck, mildly weak cry, floppiness, and motor developmental delay. Symmetric generalized muscle weakness and hypotonia are present. Some infants exhibit poor weight gain.
Predominantly proximal hypotonia manifests as hyperextensibility of the shoulders and trunk. Limitation of hip extension, hip abduction, and knee extension is also observed and increases with time. "Puffy" cheeks and pseudohypertrophy of the calves and forearms are evident in late infancy. Muscles are hard with a fibrous texture. Deep tendon reflexes are diminished or absent after early infancy. Facial muscle involvement (myopathic facies) is obvious from age six to 12 months and increases with age [Osawa et al 1997]. Open mouth, prognathism, and macroglossia become more evident in childhood. Swallowing difficulty develops after age six years.
Developmental delay and speech delay occur in all individuals. IQ range is usually 30 to 60. In individuals with mild FCMD, the IQ is more than 35; in individuals with severe FCMD, the IQ is less than 30. The maximum development in an individual with typical FCMD often consists of dozens of spoken words, sitting without help, and sliding along the floor on the buttocks. Individuals with mild FCMD may achieve independent walking or standing. Individuals with severe FCMD may lack head control or the ability to sit independently.
Social development of individuals with FCMD is not as severely affected as physical and mental abilities [Saito & Kobayashi 2001]. Children with FCMD tend to be the favorites in their nursery, kindergarten, or primary school. Even severely affected individuals with FCMD show eye contact, recognize family members, and make demands through vocalizations. Autistic features are not observed.
Seizures occur in more than 60% of affected individuals [Yoshioka et al 2008]. The average ages of onset of febrile and afebrile seizures were 5.4 and 4.6 years, respectively, in individuals homozygous for the Japanese founder variant (c.*4392_*4393insAB185332.1). The average ages of onset of febrile and afebrile seizures were 3.6 and 3.7 years, respectively, in individuals who were compound heterozygous for the Japanese founder variant and an additional pathogenic variant [Yoshioka et al 2008].
Ocular abnormalities include refractive error (myopia and hypermetropia) in 40%-53% of individuals. Abnormalities of the retina are seen in 32% of those with more severe FCMD [Chijiiwa et al 1983, Tsutsumi et al 1989, Osawa et al 1997]; however, retinal dysplasia is mild and focal.
In a few individuals with severe FCMD confirmed with molecular genetic testing, severe ocular anomalies included microphthalmia, retinal detachment, retinal hypoplasia, cataracts, and glaucoma [Mishima et al 1985, Hino et al 2001, Saito & Kobayashi 2001, Manzini et al 2008, Chang et al 2009]. Of note, the characteristic ocular findings of muscle-eye-brain disease (MEBD) or WWS (e.g., anterior chamber abnormalities, glaucoma) are not present in FCMD.
Slowly progressive cardiac involvement is characteristic of FCMD. The clinical progression of cardiac dysfunction is significantly milder than Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) [Yamamoto et al 2017]. Individuals who live more than ten years tend to develop fibrosis of the myocardium, as evidenced by postmortem findings [Finsterer et al 2010]. In an evaluation of left ventricular (LV) function using M-mode and Doppler echocardiography in 34 individuals with FCMD, eight of 11 individuals older than age 15 years showed decreased LV systolic function [Nakanishi et al 2006]. The brain natriuretic peptide concentration showed no correlation with age or left ventricular ejection fraction [Yamamoto et al 2017].
Swallowing dysfunction is observed in individuals with infantile FCMD (especially severe FCMD) and also in individuals older than age ten years with advanced disease. Inability to swallow leads to recurrent aspiration pneumonia and death [Hill et al 2004].
Murakami et al [2012] reported sudden exacerbation of muscle weakness with marked elevation of serum creatine kinase (CK) and urinary myoglobin levels a few days after a febrile episode of viral infection, occasionally leading to death.
Neuropathology. Examination of the brain in FCMD shows changes consistent with cobblestone lissencephaly with cerebral and cerebellar cortical dysplasia caused by a defect in neuronal migration [Saito et al 2000]. These changes are similar to but typically less severe than the abnormalities described in MEBD and WWS.
Infants can show extensive areas of pachygyria over the surface of the cerebral hemispheres, a feature that is more prominent over the frontal and especially temporal lobes than the parietal and occipital lobes. A variant of polymicrogyria is frequently noted over the cortical surface of the parieto-occipital lobes.
Cerebellar cysts, lined with the molecular layer and containing leptomeningeal tissue, were observed beneath the malformed cerebellar cortex or areas of polymicrogyria [Aida 1998]. Although distinctive enough to be diagnostic of cobblestone lissencephaly, these changes do not distinguish between FCMD and other causes of MEBD or WWS.
In juvenile and adult cases, the agyric areas are more focal and restricted to the occipital lobes. Lissencephalic or agyric areas of malformed cortex may alternate with regions of polymicrogyria, based on fusion of gyri and excessive migration of glio-mesenchymal tissue extending into the subarachnoid space.
A malformed or flat ventral surface of the medulla caused by secondary hypoplasia associated with a small basis pontis and grooves in the spinal cord has been observed [Saito & Kobayashi 2001].
In fetal cases, neurons and glia migrate through focal defects in the glia limitans, forming verrucous nodules, the initial manifestation of cortical dysplasia. Thus, the overmigration of CNS parenchyma into subarachnoid spaces is a pathologic process that is considered essential to the development of cortical dysplasia.