One in every 500 children born has congenital hand or upper extremity problems. The most common congenital hand problems are; Syndactyly (webbing between the fingers, fingers remaining stuck together) and polydactyly (extra fingers on the hand).
After a significant portion of congenital hand problems are treated surgically, normal or very close to normal appearance and function are achieved.
With syndactyly, the two or three fingers of the hand cannot show the necessary differentiation, and they are covered with the same skin sheath. It looks stuck together inside. It occurs once in 2000 births. This adherent image can occur at many levels, from the beginning of the finger to the tip. The veins of these fingers may be single. It is most commonly seen between the 2nd and 3rd fingers. Radiography is taken and the relationship between the bones is checked.
Two fingers close together on the human hand are never equal in length. Therefore, surgery is required to prevent the development and lengthening of the fingers from stopping. If there is syndactyly between the thumb and the 2nd finger, the baby should be operated on between 4-6 months of age, and if there is adhesion on the other fingers, surgery should be performed around 1 year of age.
If three fingers are attached, first one finger is separated, and then the other two fingers are separated with a second surgery. During the surgery, a skin patch is taken from the groin to fill the missing skin between the fingers. The hand is kept in a plaster splint for 3 weeks.
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