Brown-Vialetto-Van Laere syndrome in a large inbred Lebanese family: confirmation of autosomal recessive inheritance?

Brown-Vialetto-Van Laere syndrome or pontobulbar palsy with deafness is a rare disorder characterized by bilateral nerve deafness, a variety of cranial nerve disorders usually involving the motor components of the 7th and 9th to 12th cranial nerves, and less commonly an involvement of spinal motor nerves and upper motor neurons. Familial and sporadic cases have been reported. Based on particular evidence, autosomal recessive, autosomal dominant, and X-linked inheritance, as well as autoimmune origin have been considered. We report on a large inbred Lebanese family with four patients of both sexes, strongly suggesting autosomal recessive inheritance.