Scientific
Syndactyly FAQ: What is the Treatment for Babies with Syndactyly?
While every patient is treated individually, with treatment plans made specifically for him or her, some generalizations are possible. Syndactyly is treated surgically, with an operation separates the digits using skin from the digits and, usually, skin grafts from the lower abdomen to cover the separated fingers. When the small finger or thumb is involved, this operation is done at about six months of age, to avoid distortion of the adjacent ring or index finger with growth, since the thumb and small finger are shorter than their neighboring digits. Otherwise, syndactyly release is usually done at about eighteen months of age. Before this age, the incidence of wound healing complications and skin graft failures is significantly higher. In special cases with very complex syndactyly – or complicated syndactyly – such as in Apert’s syndrome, surgery may begin earlier, and multiple procedures may be required in a staged sequence to achieve separation of all the digits.
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