Sometimes children are born with a rare condition called syndactyly, where all fingers and toes are not individually formed. In other words, a person has “webbed” or joined fingers or toes, meaning the fusion of one or more digits on the hands or feet. Sometimes it is just the skin that is joined together, and in more severe cases the bones themselves are fused. This is not a lifelong condition, however, and many successful corrective surgeries have been performed for treating syndactyly.
What is syndactyly?
Affecting roughly one in every 3,000 newborns, syndactyly is a condition present at birth in which the digits (fingers or toes) are webbed or joined. About half of those cases affect both the hands and the feet. Boys and Caucasians are more likely to be affected.
The root words of the term syndactyly are derived from the Greek words syn-, meaning together, and -dactyly, meaning the arrangement of fingers or digits. In humans, Syndactyly is the most common congenital malformation of the limbs, and is considered unusual, occurring in approximately one in 2,000 to 3000 live births. Interestingly, during early fetal development, all our toes and fingers are webbed together. At six to eight weeks, however, something called apoptosis takes place, and an enzyme dissolves the tissue between the digits, causing the webbing to disappear.
Syndactyly can be classified as simple when it involves soft tissues only, and classified as complex when it involves the bone or nail of adjacent fingers. Syndactyly is a failure of differentiation, in which the fingers fail to separate into individual digits. This separation usually occurs during the sixth and eighth weeks of development of an embryo.
What is the treatment for syndactyly?
Surgery is the only treatment, and more than one surgery may be necessary to completely correct the deformity. Most patients have a completely restored appearance and function after syndactyly surgery.
If your child has been referred for hand or foot surgery, trust the skilled hands of the surgeons at the Atlantic Center of Aesthetic & Reconstructive Surgery. Request an appointment online or call (954) 983-1899.
