Paediatric Hand

Our plastic surgery London clinic provides high-quality paediatric hand surgery for congenital hand differences, which usually present from birth. Congenital hand defects are the most common type of genetic anomalies and are reported to occur in about 1% to 2% of births worldwide. While boys form the majority of the cases, the figure varies from region to region.

The most common types of paediatric hand defects are radial or ulnar clubhand, camptodactyly (bent fingers), syndactyly (lack of distinct separation of the fingers), polydactyly (duplication of fingers), macrodactyly, missing fingers, and underdeveloped fingers.

On top of presenting hand mobility problems for the child, these conditions often cause serious emotional turmoil for parents. Meeting your child for the first time is one of the most special times in any parent’s life. However, when congenital hand differences are part of the equation. While the condition is in no way the parent’s fault, it may lead to parents asking themselves all kinds of questions, for example, what they could have done differently during the pregnancy. In the womb, the limbs usually develop between weeks 3 and 8 after conception, and because these deformities are genetic, nothing can be done to prevent them.

If you are faced with any paediatric hand defects on your child, you need not worry as our plastic surgery UK facility is here for you. We have veteran paediatric orthopaedic hand specialists who are always ready to help with the correct development of your child’s hand.

Diagnosis of Paediatric Hand Deformities

Hand deformities can often be identified in scans way before the child is born, and consultations for fixing the problem may begin a few months or weeks before birth. This provides ample time to see the best approach to correct it as soon as possible. However, parents whose children have paediatric hand deformities should be aware that delays in resolving the congenital abnormalities may present functionality problems for the child as they grow older.

Proposed solutions may be reconstructive surgery or using some devices to improve or correct the condition. If there is a family history of paediatric hand deformities, the family will be advised during the initial review. Our doctors always recommend surgery to remove duplicated fingers before the child is 3 months old and surgery to separate fused fingers between 12 and 24 months, or 6 to 12 months if border digits are the ones affected.

How Syndactyly Surgery is performed

Syndactyly is a congenital hand deformity where two or more fingers are joined together. Resolving the condition requires surgery, and the technique used will depend on the complexity. Simple syndactyly involves the joining of the fingers via the skin or soft tissue, which is easy to separate. In more complex situations, the bones of adjacent fingers may be joined, and some extra bones or tendons may have formed.

The separation surgery is done under local anaesthesia, and the surgeon will make a zigzag incision between the fingers, after which the webspace will be reconstructed using skin grafted from the elbow or groin areas. The hand is dressed after being stitched and a cast placed to limit movement and allow time for healing. The dressing will be removed 2 weeks after the operation, and moisturizers are recommended to keep the wound from drying.

How Polydactyly Surgery is performed

Polydactyly happens when a child is born with extra fingers, which may be fully or partially developed. These fingers may be undeveloped or exact duplicates of normal fingers, most commonly attached to the thumb or little finger. The surgeon will perform the removal procedure under local or general anaesthesia based on complexity, and the extra digits are taken out. Recovery is more straightforward than in syndactyly as the child may not need to undergo any therapies.

Visit our plastic surgery clinic today for a consultation, and our paediatric hand deformities specialists will advise you accordingly, depending on your child’s case. Do not let any form of paediatric hand deformities stay for too long without treatment. The longer you wait, the older the child will grow and the more difficult it becomes to correct the problem.

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