children s health issues
Finger and Toe Defects
Introduction
The fingers and toes may be abnormally formed, incompletely formed, or missing at birth. Birth defects, also called congenital anomalies, are physical abnormalities that occur before a baby is born. "Congenital" means "present at birth." (See also Introduction to Birth Defects of the Face, Bones, Joints, and Muscles .) Birth defects of the fingers and toes can occur while a baby is developing in the womb. For example, the baby may have too few fingers or toes. Or the baby may be born with extra fingers or toes. Inamniotic band syndrome,finger and toe defects (and other abnormalities) are caused when body parts are constricted by thin strands of tissue from the amniotic sac. The amniotic sac holds the amniotic fluid surrounding the developing fetus in the womb. The strands may tangle around the fetus, like strings or rubber bands, trapping parts of its body and restricting growth of the body part. Polydactylyis extra fingers or toes. The little fingers or toes and thumbs or big toes are the ones most commonly duplicated. The extra finger or toe may be just a nub of fleshy tissue or the extra finger or toe could be fully functioning, having its own nerve endings, bones, and joints. Syndactylyis webbing or fusion of fingers or toes. In syndactyly, fingers or toes do not separate, producing a weblike hand or foot. In simple syndactyly, the soft tissues are fused together. In complex syndactyly, the bones and soft tissues are fused together. Both polydactyly and syndactyly can occur on their own or as a part of a genetic syndrome such as Apert syndrome. 