**7. Medical history, physical examination and management of dysmorphic patients**

In dysmorphology, the clinical activities that lead to the diagnosis (medical history, physical examination, complementary examinations, etc.) and the therapeutic procedures are that same as those of clinical medicine and/or surgery, with the inherent aspects of each specialty and any adaptations that each dysmorphic condition may require. In any situations, a correct diagnosis is very important for making the best decision. It has implications in terms of prognosis and possible treatment. All procedures should be noted according to well defined criteria in order to obtain a complete and consistent record, whose importance in terms of diagnosis and therapy transcends each case, enabling comparisons with new cases and generating innovations. The following topics introduce some general observations concerning these aspects.
