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Start free with EleplanAuriculocondylar syndrome
ORPHA:137888Malformation syndrome
Also called Question mark ear syndrome
What it is
A rare, genetic dysostosis with predominant craniofacial involvement characterized by bilateral external ear malformations, mandibular condyle hypoplasia, microstomia, micrognathia, microglossia and facial asymmetry. Additional manifestations include hypotonia, ptosis, cleft palate, full cheeks, developmental delay, hearing impairment and respiratory distress. Significant intra- and interfamilial phenotypic variation has been reported.
Key facts
- Prevalence
- <1 / 1 000 000 (Europe)
- Age of onset
- Infancy, Neonatal
- Inheritance
- Autosomal dominant, Autosomal recessive
- Classified as
- Malformation syndrome
Prevalence figures describe populations, not individuals, and are often estimates from a single study. Where the figure is an incidence or a birth prevalence, it says so.
Signs and symptoms
Common30–79%
20- Abnormality of the crus of the helix
- Abnormality of the temporomandibular joint
- Aplasia/Hypoplasia of the external ear
- Bifid uvula
- Cleft palate
- Dental crowding
- Dental malocclusion
- Facial asymmetry
- Full cheeks
- Glossoptosis
- Micrognathia
- Narrow mouth
- Obstructive sleep apnea
- Periauricular skin pits
- Posteriorly rotated ears
- Preauricular skin tag
- Question mark ear
- Respiratory distress
- Snoring
- Tongue muscle weakness
Sometimes5–29%
9- Feeding difficulties
- Generalized hypotonia
- Global developmental delay
- Hamartoma of tongue
- Hearing impairment
- Macrocephaly
- Mandibular condyle aplasia
- Microglossia
and 1 more in this range
These ranges are how often a sign appears across everyone diagnosed, not a prediction for one person — most people have some of these and not others. Orphanet also records findings that are specifically absent in this disease; those are in the data but not listed here.
Genes
ICD-10 codes
ICD-10 has no distinct code for most rare diseases, so many are filed under the nearest available one. A shared code identifies the group, not this disease — the ORPHAcode above is what identifies it.
Related health topics
Reached through the ICD-10 categories this disease is filed under, so these describe the broader group rather than this disease specifically.
Cross-references
Orphadata Science: Free access data from Orphanet. © INSERM 1999. Data version 2026-06-23. Available under CC BY 4.0. This is a reference, not medical advice.
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