Congenital Hand Differences
A congenital hand difference is defined as a hand that is abnormal at birth. One in 20 children is born with some hand difference, and these can be either major or minor.
Possible differences include:
- Missing parts (failure of formation),
- Webbed or fused parts of the hand (failures of separation),
- Extra parts in the hand (duplication),
- Larger or smaller than normal parts
Examples of common congenital hand differences include:
- Webbed fingers, called syndactyly
- An extra finger or extra thumb, called polydactyly
Causes
During pregnancy and fetal development, the upper limb is formed between four and eight weeks of pregnancy. Many necessary steps are needed to form a normal arm and hand. A congenital hand difference can result if any of these steps is interrupted. Some of these differences have genetic causes, and many of these differences occur without a known cause. Research is being done continuously to understand these processes.
Signs and Symptoms
Some congenital hand differences are easy to identify, but others can be more complicated. It is important that a hand doctor evaluate your child to help determine the problem correctly and decide if any treatment is needed. Your hand specialist may refer you to a genetics specialist if necessary to help make an overall diagnosis for your child.
Treatment
All babies born with congenital hand differences should have a complete examination by a hand specialist doctor who treats these conditions. Sometimes, no treatment is necessary, and sometimes a child may need hand therapy. Each condition needs personalized treatment. Surgery is usually the way to separate webbed fingers. Extra fingers can be surgically removed, and sometimes the remaining finger or thumb requires further surgery for reconstruction.
Coping with congenital hand differences
At first, parents usually feel shocked, angry, or guilty, which are completely normal emotions. There is nothing that parents or doctors could have done differently to prevent the hand difference from occurring. As we have a particular interest in congenital hand differences, we will be delighted to see you and help in any way.
