A search for the gene(s) predisposing to idiopathic clubfoot

To the Editor:Idiopathic clubfoot is one of the most common serious congenital deformities of the musculoskeletal system.A genetic component to the etiology of idiopathic clubfoot is suggested by the 33% concordance of identical twins (1).Four complex segregation analyses of idiopathic clubfoot populations have been performed (2-5), and all support a single, major gene effect as explaining a large portion of the liability to having a clubfoot.Therefore, we performed a genome-wide linkage screen in a large family to attempt to localize a predisposing gene.