Wildervanck syndromeis a condition that affects the bones in the neck, the eyes, and the ears. It is characterized by Klippel-Feil anomaly (in which the bones of the neck fuse together), Duane syndrome (an eye movement disorder), and hearing loss. Wildervanck syndrome occurs primarily in females. In most cases, Wildervanck syndrome occurs randomly for unknown reasons in a family with no prior history (sporadically), though a deletion on the X chromosome was identified in one individual with Wildervanck syndrome. X-linked dominant inheritance has been suggested due to the high prevalence of affected females. Treatment is specific to each symptom and may include physical therapy, surgical intervention for skeletal, ocular, auditory, and cardiac abnormalities, and utilization of hearing aids.

The exact cause of Wildervanck syndrome is not known. It is suspected to be a polygenic condition, meaning that many genetic factors may be involved.Environmental factors may also be involved, indicating that this condition may be due to many factors (multifactorial).

Wildervanck syndrome does not have a clear pattern of inheritance. In most cases, only one person in a family is affected. These cases are called isolated or sporadic because there is no family history of Wildervanck syndrome. Because this syndrome occurs mostly in females, some researchers suggest that this condition may be transmitted as an X-linked dominant trait. The lack of males with Wildervanck syndrome suggests that affected males have more severe features and do not survive to birth.