Question

Fetal hydantoin syndrome is caused by maternal use of:

• A. Phenytoin
• B. Valproate
• C. Carbamazepine
• D. Phenobarbitone

Hint:

The chemical class in the syndrome's name is the same as the drug class of the answer.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Note: The stem and options were truncated in the source. The condition named, fetal hydantoin syndrome, points directly to the answer, and the standard option set is reconstructed here.
Step 1: Decode the name. Phenytoin belongs to the hydantoin chemical class, so 'fetal hydantoin syndrome' is by definition the teratogenic pattern caused by phenytoin taken during pregnancy.
Step 2: Recall the clinical features. The syndrome includes craniofacial defects, hypoplastic distal phalanges and small nails, growth retardation, microcephaly, intellectual disability, and sometimes cleft lip or palate. The damage is linked to toxic epoxide metabolites of phenytoin.
Step 3: Rule out the others. Valproate (B) causes neural tube defects and the fetal valproate syndrome, not hydantoin syndrome. Carbamazepine (C) is also linked to neural tube defects. Phenobarbitone (D) carries general teratogenic risk but does not produce the hydantoin pattern.
Answer: Option A (Phenytoin).