If your child has syndactyly, it means that the fingers or toes are webbed or joined. This condition would have been present at birth. Syndactyly is a fairly common congenital defect that often runs in families, affecting about 1 out of every 2,500 babies. Boys are more likely to have it than girls.

Syndactyly affects both hands (bilateral) about half of the time and most often occurs between the middle and ring fingers. It also can affect a child’s toes as well as fingers.

In most cases, surgery can restore the appearance of the fingers and thereby allow the child to undergo normal development and have a normal function of the hand.

Dr. Stasch will examine the hands and toes, and in most cases an X-Ray picture will be needed. Surgery involves cutting through the skin that covers the affected fingers in a zig-zag fashion, and use the same skin to cover the now separated fingers. Sometimes, small skin grafts are necessary to close all defects.