Definition. Klippel-Feil Syndrome is a rare disorder characterized by the congenital fusion of two or more cervical (neck) vertebrae. It is caused by a failure in the normal segmentation or division of the cervical vertebrae during the early weeks of fetal development.
Klippel-Feil sequence: Short neck, low hairline at the nape of the neck and limited movement of the head. Klippel-Feil sequence is due to a defect in the early development of the spinal column in the neck, resulting in fusion of the cervical vertebrae.
Rarely, structural brain abnormalities or a type of birth defect that occurs during the development of the brain and spinal cord (neural tube defect) can occur in people with Klippel-Feil syndrome.
It has been propagated that KFS patients exhibit the “clinical triad” findings, known as a short neck, low posterior hairline, and a limited cervical range of motion (ROM), which aids in the identification of this syndrome [2, 3].
Genetic testing. If at least 2 cervical vertebrae are fused and other aspects of the exam signal that the condition is congenital (from birth), Klippel-Feil syndrome is diagnosed.
Klippel-Feil Syndrome, a rare birth disability.
Genetic Disease. Klippel Feil syndrome is a genetic disease, which means that it is caused by one or more genes not working correctly.
Some cases of KFS can become serious and potentially life-threatening in a few different ways: Cervical myelopathy. If the spinal cord starts to become compressed, such as from bony overgrowths or severe spinal deformity, problems with coordination and reduced control over bodily functions could result.
Prescription pain medications. Opioids, also called narcotic pain medications, are a common painkiller used to manage severe pain on a short-term basis. Prescription-strength muscle relaxants may also be used to reduce painful muscle spasms.
(si-ring'gō-mī-ē'lē-ă) The presence in the spinal cord of longitudinal cavities lined by dense, gliogenous tissue, which are not caused by vascular insufficiency.
KFS symptoms may or may not be apparent at birth or during childhood. However, KFS symptoms typically worsen with age and may become more apparent later in life.
The ICD code Q761 is used to code Klippel-Feil syndrome. Klippel–Feil syndrome is a rare disease, initially reported in 1912 by Maurice Klippel and André Feil from France, characterized by the congenital fusion of any two of the seven cervical vertebrae.:578 . The syndrome occurs in a heterogeneous group of patients unified only by the presence ...
Billable codes are sufficient justification for admission to an acute care hospital when used a principal diagnosis. The Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) requires medical coders to indicate whether or not a condition was present at the time of admission, in order to properly assign MS-DRG codes.