Cause of goldenhar syndrome has not yet been identified

goldenhar syndrome is an‘umbrella’term for a wide range of bone abnormalities affecting the face and sometimes the vertebrae.

It can often be characterized by incomplete development of the ear, nose, soft palate, lip and mandible.

Problems associated with goldenhar can include hearing loss, weakness in moving the side of the face that is smaller, problems wth breathing associated with small windpipes and difficulty eating.

Discovered by in 1952 by Dr Maurice goldenhar, the cause of the syndrome has not yet been identified, but it has been proven not to be genetic.