46 Kniest dysplasia is a disorder of bone growth characterized by short stature (dwarfism) with other skeletal abnormalities and problems with vision and hearing. it is one of a spectrum of skeletal disorders caused by mutations in the col2a1 gene. this condition is inherited in an autosomal dominant pattern, which means one copy of the altered gene in each cell is sufficient to cause the disorder. most cases result from new mutations in the gene and occur in people with no history of the disorder in their family