Mild finger webbing that doesn’t interfere with your child’s development and webbing between the toes can usually be left untreated.Īll other types of syndactyly can be repaired surgically, usually when the child is between ages 1 and 2. By then, a child is young enough that the chances of normal development increase and old enough that risks from anesthesia are decreased.Noonan syndrome is a common genetic disorder that causes multiple congenital abnormalities and a large number of potential health conditions. What Is the Treatment for Webbed Fingers and Toes? Caucasian male babies are born with webbed fingers and toes more often than female, Black, or Asian babies. Syndactyly usually will affect both hands in about half of babies born with the condition. Other types are much rarer, including those caused by genetic syndromes that have other serious health effects. Type 1 is the most common, and usually only affects the skin and soft tissues. Syndactyly is a fairly common birth defect, but if you don’t have a family history of webbed fingers or toes, having a child that does can take you by surprise.Ībout one in every 2,000 to 3,000 newborns have webbed fingers or toes. Your doctor will be able to diagnose the severity and type by using physical exams, X-rays, or genetic testing. There are many other types of syndactyly that affect the skin and bones of fingers and toes. The third - or middle - finger might also be fused, missing, or undeveloped. Type 3. This variation usually affects the fourth and fifth fingers of the hands. It can also cause the fifth finger to be curved, crooked, or shortened. People with this variation of webbing often have extra fingers or toes. Type 2. This type of webbing commonly affects the third and fourth fingers and the fifth toe. This type of webbing usually affects both right and left hands or both feet. Often the third and fourth fingers or second and third toes are affected. Type 1. This is the most common kind of webbing between fingers and toes that's not related to other genetic syndromes. Syndactyly is also grouped into several types depending on which fingers or toes are affected: Part of the skin between fingers and toes are webbed. A person has extra, missing, or undeveloped bones with abnormal tendons and ligaments. Some bones are also fused under the skin. Fingers or toes are joined together with skin and other soft tissues. There are four groupings of syndactyly based on hand or foot symptoms: While syndactyly refers to skin webbing, there are variations of the condition that include skin, bone, and connecting tissues. Each person with webbed fingers or toes develops differently and has a unique genetic makeup that can influence the severity and type of syndactyly that affects them. What Are the Different Types of Webbed Fingers and Toes? Webbed fingers and toes can be a symptom of many other genetic syndromes like Apert, Chotzen, and Poland syndromes. Sometimes syndactyly is part of a larger health problem. It's estimated that between 10% and 40% of people with syndactyly have family histories of webbed fingers and toes. Webbed fingers and toes usually happen on their own as an isolated birth defect but sometimes there is a genetic component to your likelihood of having syndactyly. Syndactyly happens when fingers or toes don't separate or develop normally at this time. Around week 10 of pregnancy, the fetus’s fingers and toes should separate, elongate, and lose their webbing. Here's what you need to know about the types of webbing that occur to fingers and toes and some of their common causes, risk factors, and treatments. What Causes Webbed Fingers or Toes?Īs a baby develops in the uterus, their hands and feet first form in flipper-like paddle shapes. Webbed fingers or toes can affect each person differently. Syndactyly is diagnosed at birth, or sometimes even earlier during prenatal ultrasound screenings. It occurs when skin fuses two or more fingers or toes, making them look "webbed." Bones and other soft tissues might also be affected. Medically, that condition is known as syndactyly. What happens when those digits look fused or stuck together? After a baby is born, one of the first things proud parents do is count the infant's fingers and toes.
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