Abstract:Objective To analyze 3 cases of 16p11.2 deletion syndrome diagnosed prenatally, and to define the prenatal phenotypes of this syndrome. Methods The results of G-banded karyotyping and single nucleotide polymorphism array (SNP array) of 3 fetuses with 16p11.2 deletion syndrome were reviewed and the prenatal ultrasound of these 3 fetuses were analyzed. Results All amniocenteses revealed normal karyotype. Whereas SNP array detected a 922?kb deletion at 16p11.2 [arr [hg19] 16p11.2 (29, 428, 531-30, 350, 748) X1] in fetus 1, a 585?kb deletion at 16p11.2 [arr [hg19] 16p11.2 (29, 591, 326-30, 176, 508) X1]in fetus 2, and a 748 kb deletion at 16p11.2 [arr [hg19] 16p11.2 (29, 428, 531-30, 176, 508) X1] in fetus 3. All deletions have overlapped with the critical region of chromosome 16p11.2 deletion syndrome and involved candidate genes such as PRRT2, KCTD13, TBX6, HIRIP3 and SEZ6L2. Prenatal ultrasound of fetus 1 and 2 showed hemirertebra and scoliosis, and prenatal ultrasound of fetus 3 showed increased nuchal translucency (NT). Conclusions Chromosome 16p11.2 deletion syndrome could be seen in several types of prenatal ultrasound abnormalities, and vertebral anomalies are the most frequent. If the prenatal ultrasound showed hemirertebra and scoliosis in Chinese Han population, chromosome 16p11.2 deletion syndrome could be put into consideration. SNP array can efficiently detect chromosome 16p11.2 deletion syndrome and accurately map the breakpoints and involved genes, which may facilitate understanding of the genotype and phenotype correlations.