Congenital syndactyly: outcome of surgical treatment in 131 webs

Abstract

Congenital syndactyly is one of the most common congenital hand differences and various methods of surgical treatment have been described since the 19th century. Nevertheless, unsatisfactory results including web creep, flexion contractures, and rotational deformities of the fingers are still reported. This study presents the outcome of syndactyly release in 131 webs in 78 patients. The sex ratio was 40 males/38 females. The age ranged from 4 months to 22 years (average: 4 y). In the majority of the webs the result was good or excellent. The type of flaps used for the reconstruction of the web was important as the combination of a dorsal rectangular and 2 volar triangular flaps gave superior results than the use of 2 triangular flaps. The less rewarding overall outcome was obtained in the presence of associated differences of the involved fingers, that is, complex complicated syndactyly and in the cases of delayed correction. Use of a dorsal rectangular flap in combination with 2 volar triangular flaps and use of full thickness skin grafts, ensure a satisfactory outcome and minimize the number of operations per web.