If your child was born with webbed fingers and/or toes, they have a congenital condition called syndactyly – and they're not alone. The most common hand difference present at birth (congenital), syndactyly affects about one in every 2,500 babies each year and ranges in severity. Boys are more likely than girls, and Caucasians are more likely than African Americans or Asians to be diagnosed with syndactyly.
Our orthopedic surgeons understand the challenges webbed fingers and toes may cause. After a careful examination, which will likely include X-rays, a physician will diagnose your child with one of several types of syndactyly, depending on how their fingers and/or toes are joined together.
After your child is diagnosed, our team works with you and your child to determine the best course of treatment. Typically, surgery is performed early on to separate conjoined fingers and ensure your child's hand functions correctly throughout his or her life. However, if syndactyly affects the toes, treatment may not be necessary because conjoined toes rarely cause functional issues.
Our surgical outcomes are incredibly positive, particularly in cases of incomplete simple syndactyly. In fact, once healed, rarely can you tell there was a need for the fingers to be surgically separated.
Four different terms are used to diagnose syndactyly: incomplete simple, incomplete complex, complete simple, complete complex.
Incomplete: Only part of adjacent fingers or toes are webbed or connected.
Complete: Fingers or toes are joined all the way, from base to tip.
Beyond incomplete or complete, the diagnosis then moves one step further to simple or complex.
Simple: Fingers or toes are joined by skin and soft tissue only.
Complex: Fingers or toes are joined by skin, soft tissue and underlying bones.
Most types of syndactyly happen in the womb during development of the hand and arm. Normally, the hand forms in the shape of a paddle. Then, at about the sixth or seventh week of gestation, the hand shape splits into fingers. If there's an irregularity in the process, fingers and/or toes might fail to divide correctly.
About 50% of the time, syndactyly affects both hands (bilateral) and most often occurs between the middle and ring fingers. While syndactyly can happen for no apparent genetic reason, about 10 to 40% of cases are the result of an inherited trait or genetic syndrome. Syndactyly is also associated with approximately 300 different genetic syndromes.
