Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2014 Jun 12:8:184.
doi: 10.1186/1752-1947-8-184.

Incomplete duplication of a lower extremity (polymelia): a case report

Nelson Montalvo  1 , Ligia Redrobán, Victor Hugo Espín
Affiliations
Case Reports

Incomplete duplication of a lower extremity (polymelia): a case report

Nelson Montalvo et al. J Med Case Rep. .

Abstract

Introduction: Polymelia, or congenital duplication of a limb, is an extremely rare entity in humans, with few cases reported in the literature.

Case presentation: We present the case of a six-month-old Hispanic boy born with a lower limb bud on the left posterior thigh.

Conclusion: The infant had a favorable outcome and evolution after surgical treatment of his supernumerary limb, with no after-effects or impairment whatsoever.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Plain film radiograph of left lower extremity shows an accessory lower limb bud on the posterior face.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Photograph of supernumerary limb with exposed bone segment. Three digitiform formations are visible at the opposite end.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Photograph of the limb bud cut along its long axis showing islands of cartilage and centers of ossification surrounded by subcutaneous cellular tissue and skin.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Histological specimen showing endochondral ossification in the diaphysis and the epiphysis (inset, 20x).
Figure 5
Figure 5
Histological analysis of supernumerary limb showing maturation of the cartilaginous growth plate in accordance with the infant`s age (inset, 40×).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Bannykh SI, Bannykh GI, Mannino FL, Jones KL, Hansen L, Benirschke K, Masliah E. Partial caudal duplication in a newborn associated with meningomyelocele and complex heart anomaly. Teratology. 2001;63:94–99. doi: 10.1002/1096-9926(200102)63:2<94::AID-TERA1015>3.0.CO;2-A. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Gómez Dumm C. Human Embryology: Atlas and Text [in Spanish] Buenos Aires, Argentina: El Ateneo; 2003. Skeletal system and limbs in human embryology; pp. 198–200.
    1. Brook WJ, Díaz-Benjumea FJ, Cohen SM. Organizing spatial pattern in limb development. Annu Rev Cell Dev Biol. 1996;12:161–180. doi: 10.1146/annurev.cellbio.12.1.161. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Langman J. In: Medical Embryology. 4. Sadler TW, editor. Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins; 1982. Skeletal system; pp. 129–143.
    1. Moore KL, Persaud TVN. The Developing Human: Clinically Oriented Embryology. 7. Philadelphia, PA: Saunders; 2003. Skeletal system in the developing human; pp. 405–422.

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources