This report describes the presentation of a newborn male with circumferential tongue-palate fusion associated with cleft palate and alveolar bands. After intraoral adhesions lysis, the patient was diagnosed with Pierre Robin sequence. A family history of cleft lip and palate was noted, and interferon regulatory factor 6 ( IRF6) sequencing revealed a heterozygous variant, confirming the diagnosis of van der Woude syndrome. The disruption of IRF6 resulted in abnormal orofacial development including micrognathia and intraoral adhesions as well as tongue-palate fusion, then resulting in glossoptosis with airway obstruction and cleft palate.
Keywords: IRF6; Pierre Robin sequence; cleft; tongue-palate fusion; van der Woude syndrome.