Novel cytogenetic and molecular techniques in the diagnosis of congenital anomalies in newborns.

Knowledge of what causes developmental disorders, including congenital structural defects/anomalies, in the newborn population, facilitates the choice of further investigations, therapy and rehabilitation, allows the use of appropriate prophylaxis against comorbidities, makes it possible to specify prognosis, as well as provide reliable family counselling (both pre- and postnatal). Attempting to formulate a clinical diagnosis of a specific congenital anomaly syndrome, with or without dysmorphic features, based on history and detailed physical examination, remains crucial for the selection of the right genetic testing. Modern methods of molecular cytogenetics and molecular biology are targeted in nature (microdeletion MLPA, single gene sequencing) or are capable of analyzing the genome as a whole (array CGH, newgeneration sequencing). Especially the latter techniques are now causing a rapid increase of diagnostic efficacy across different age groups, including newborns.