Syndactilia is a term used to describe a very common situation that occurs when one or more fingers, hands or feet are born glued together. This alteration may be caused by genetic and hereditary alterations, which occur during the development of the baby during pregnancy and are usually associated with the onset of syndromes.
Diagnosis can be made by ultrasound during pregnancy or can only be identified after the baby is born. If the diagnosis is made during pregnancy, the obstetrician may recommend genetic testing to check if the baby has a syndrome.
- Syndactyly is classified according to the number of fingers joined.
- The position of the finger joint and whether there are bones or simply soft parts between the fingers involved.
- The most appropriate treatment is surgery.
- Which is defined by this classification and by the age of the child.
Syndactyly is mainly caused by genetic changes, transmitted from parents to children, which cause changes in the development of the hands or feet between the sixth and seventh weeks of gestation.
In some cases, this change may be a sign of a genetic syndrome, such as Poland syndrome, Apert syndrome, or Holt-Oram syndrome, which can also be discovered during pregnancy. Learn more about Holt-Oram syndrome and the right treatment.
In addition, syndactyly can appear without any explanation, however, it is known that people with lighter skin are more likely to have children with this disorder, just as boys are more likely to develop this mutation than girls.
Syndactyly can be classified into several types, depending on the fingers attached and the severity of the union of those fingers. This alteration can occur in both hands or feet, and in the child may appear with characteristics different from what happens in the parent. Therefore, the types of syndactyly are:
There is also a very rare type of syndactyly called transverse or window syndactyly, which occurs when there is a hole in the skin trapped between the fingers. As the hand is an important part of performing daily activities, depending on the exchange rate, the movement of the fingers can be altered.
Most of the time, the diagnosis is made at the time of the baby’s birth, but it can be made during prenatal care, after the second month of pregnancy, by ultrasound. If, after the ultrasound, the obstetrician finds that the baby has syndactyly, he or she may order genetic tests to check for syndromes.
If syndactyly is diagnosed after the baby is born, the pediatrician may recommend an X-ray to evaluate the number of fingers attached and whether or not the finger bones are together. If a genetic syndrome has been identified, your doctor will also perform a detailed physical exam to see if there are other deformities in your baby’s body.
Treatment for syndactyly is indicated by the pediatrician, in collaboration with an orthopedist, depending on the type and severity of the change. Treatment usually involves finger separating surgery, which should be done after the baby is six months old, as this is the safest age to perform anesthesia. However, if your finger joint is severe and affects your bones, your doctor may recommend surgery before the sixth month of life.
After surgery, your doctor will recommend using a splint to reduce the movement of the hand or foot in which you have had surgery, helping to heal and preventing the stitches from loosening. After a month, your doctor may also recommend physical therapy exercises to help improve stiffness and swelling of your operated finger.
In addition, follow-up with your doctor will need to be followed up after a certain amount of time for the outcome of the surgery to be evaluated. However, if signs such as itching, redness, bleeding or fever appear, it is important to seek immediate medical attention, as this may indicate an infection at the site of surgery.