Polydactyly in infants

When the baby is still in the mother's womb, mothers should pay attention to every aspect of their lives to avoid factors that may cause congenital malformations in the baby. There are many types of congenital malformations in babies. One type is polydactyly, which mainly refers to the baby having more fingers than normal people. So what is the treatment when a baby has polydactyly?

Experts remind: A very critical factor in the treatment of polydactyly is the timing of the operation. Hand surgeons suggest that the earlier the polydactyly is treated, the better the correction effect: polydactyly surgery can be performed on babies 6 months to 1 year after birth. In a few cases, the hand function still needs to be observed for a long time so that the main fingers can be retained and the accessory fingers can be removed.

Treatment of polydactyly – polydactyly

If you have an extra finger growing on your hand, will simply cutting it off solve the problem? The answer is no. For surgical treatment of polydactyly, in addition to removing the extra fingers, it is more important to reconstruct the finger function and restore the finger appearance, among which reconstructing the finger function is the most critical.

The focus of surgery is correction and functional reconstruction. Surgical removal of supernumerary fingers is not difficult, but it is not as simple as everyone imagines. The surgery needs to take into account factors such as the shape, position, bones, joints, blood vessels, etc. of the fingers, and a comprehensive consideration combined with X-ray examination to decide the location and method of removing the supernumerary fingers. It is not a problem that can be solved by simply "cutting them off". When multiple fingers are removed, the flexor and extensor tendons can be retained to enhance the flexion and extension function of the retained fingers or used to reconstruct the collateral ligaments. When preserving congenital defects of the extensor and flexor tendons of the fingers, the extensor tendons of the index finger and the superficial flexor tendons of the ring finger can be transferred while removing multiple fingers to reconstruct the function of the retained fingers.

Polydactyly surgery method:

The principle is to remove the accessory finger and retain the main finger. In addition to X-ray examination, the finger function should be clinically observed to determine the main and accessory fingers.

1. Preaxial polydactyly (polydactyly of the thumb)

If there are major nerves and blood vessels in the excision of the thumb, they should be carefully separated and preserved without damage. If there are major tendon or intrinsic muscle insertion points, they should also be shifted to the corresponding position of the retained thumb. When the retained thumb is too deviated, joint fusion or osteotomy is required after the epiphyseal development has basically stopped.

2. Central polydactyly

When performing central polydactyly, the blood supply and nerve innervation of the remaining fingers should be avoided to prevent necrosis of the remaining fingers. If necessary, the resection can be performed in multiple surgeries.

3. Postaxial polydactyly (polydactyly of the little finger)

Polydactyly on the ulnar side of the little finger generally does not involve the repair of the joint capsule tendon. When there are supernumerary metacarpal bones, they should be removed together. In case of type II or III pinky polydactyly, the very small abductor tendons need to be identified and protected.