Dysmorphology is the study of congenital birth defects that alter the shape or form of one or more parts of the body of infants.
There are three major categories of birth defects:
- Malformations
- Deformations
- Disruptions
- Malformations result from intrinsic (natural, internal) abnormalities in one or more genetic developmental programs.
- Deformations are caused by extrinsic (external) factors physically acting on the fetus during development. They are common during the second trimester of development and in many cases resolve spontaneously or can be treated.