Polydactyly Sentence Examples

Polydactyly and syndactyly are congenital malformations of the fingers and/or toes.

Polydactyly is the presence of extra fingers or toes, and syndactyly is the fusing together or webbing of two or more fingers or toes.

Polydactyly and syndactyly can vary in the degree of severity.

Polydactyly may range from small skin tags on the side of the hands to fully formed extra fingers with bone, blood vessels, and muscle tissue.

Polydactyly is classified as postaxial if the extra digit is located beside the little finger or preaxial if the extra digit is located near the thumb.

Syndactyly and polydactyly may occur simultaneously when extra digits are fused in a condition known as polysyndactyly.

Polydactyly and syndactyly are usually isolated conditions, meaning the child will have no other birth defects; however, both are also found in many complex and sometimes lethal groups of anomalies or syndromes.

Postaxial polydactyly, or an extra pinky finger, is the second most common malformation of the hand, occurring in approximately one in 3,000 births.

Polydactyly of the toes, especially of the little toe, is also a common malformation, occurring in approximately two in 1,000 births.

Thirty percent of all children with polydactyly have family members with some type of polydactyly, and it is more common in African Americans.

Polydactyly and syndactyly are conditions that occur in the developing fetus.

Both polydactyly and syndactyly can be caused by the presence of an autosomal dominant trait.

Because the gene is dominant, when one parent has the gene, each of his or her children has a 50 percent chance of having polydactyly or syndactyly.

The primary symptom of polydactyly is the presence of extra digits on the hands or feet.

Polydactyly rarely causes any difficulties for the child.

Some children with polydactyly will need radiographs or x rays to determine if there is bone present in the extra digit.

When polydactyly is more severe and involves digits with bone, a pediatric orthopedic surgeon will perform the repair.

In children with syndactyly, the surgeon must determine if the fusion involves muscle tissue and blood vessels, and in children with severe polydactyly of the fingers, a surgeon specializing in hands may evaluate the child as well.

For children with minor cases of polydactyly, the extra finger or toe may be tied at its base to restrict blood flow into it.

For children with isolated polydactyly and syndactyly, the prognosis is excellent.

There is no known prevention for polydactyly and syndactyly.

Children with more severe polydactyly and syndactyly will have surgery to correct the malformation.

Polydactyly and syndactyly correction surgery is usually performed when the child is between the ages of one and two years.