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Hand and Upper Extremity Program
Syndactyly
Kids aren’t just mini adults. In fact, they’re incredibly different. That’s why they need incredibly different care.
What is syndactyly?
Syndactyly is a condition in which two or more fingers or toes are joined together. The fused fingers or toes are sometimes called “webbed.” Syndactyly is a congenital condition, meaning it is present at birth. It happens when the fingers or toes don’t separate as the baby is developing in the womb.
Who gets syndactyly?
Syndactyly is the most common congenital condition affecting the hand. Doctors don’t know why syndactyly happens but the condition is sometimes linked to genetic syndromes, including:
- Apert syndrome
- Carpenter syndrome
- Crouzon syndrome
- Poland syndrome
What are the types of syndactyly?
The different types of syndactyly depend on the level of fusion between the fingers or toes and how deeply into the tissue they are fused.
- Complete: fingers or toes are joined completely the length of the finger or toe
- Incomplete: fingers or toes are joined only part of the length of the finger or toe
- Simple: the skin and other soft tissues like blood vessels and nerves are joined together
- Complex: the skin, soft tissues like blood vessels and nerves and bone are joined together
Why choose Children’s Hospital Colorado for your child’s syndactyly treatment?
Our Hand and Upper Extremity Program team at Children’s Colorado provides a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach to the care of your child. This means your child has access to leading specialists from multiple departments who work together to develop a treatment plan based on your child’s condition. We have top orthopedic and reconstructive hand surgeons to work with your child and family through the whole procedure, and we also provide rehabilitation specialists and therapists to help your child after surgery.
Your child’s syndactyly care team includes pediatric experts from orthopedic surgery, plastic and reconstructive surgery, rehabilitation and physical medicine, occupational therapy and nursing.
How do we diagnose syndactyly?
We diagnose syndactyly by physical examination, usually just after birth. Your child’s doctor will also take X-rays to look at the bones of the fingers or toes and determine if they also are joined.
How do we treat syndactyly?
The treatment for syndactyly is surgery to separate the fingers or toes. If there are multiple fingers or toes affected, more than one surgery is usually necessary. Our surgical team often recommends that we wait to perform the surgery until your child is older than one.
What to expect if doctors recommend surgery for syndactyly
The type of surgery for syndactyly varies based on the type of syndactyly your child has. For simple syndactyly, where just the skin is fused, the surgery is more straightforward. For complex syndactyly, in which the blood vessels or nerves are also fused, the surgery can be more involved. In either case, your child’s surgeons will do the necessary imaging tests to get a thorough understanding, so they can develop a comprehensive and precise plan for surgery. Some things to remember for surgery include:
- If surgery is necessary, the surgery will be performed in the operating room while your child is under general anesthesia.
- For the surgery, small cuts are made on the sides of the fingers and toes to separate them.
- Skin grafts (removing a patch of skin from one area of the body and attaching it to another area) may be necessary to close the areas completely.
Next steps
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