General Information: Syndactyly literally means "together fingers." It is defined by having two or more fingers or toes joined together with skin or tissue. The digits may be completely fused, or just webbed. This is known as mitten hand, stocking foot, webbed fingers and toes, or by several other names. Although some serious defects can have syndactyly as part of them, it appears that there are types of syndactyly that are dominant and unrelated to any problems. People with syndactyly lead normal lives, although some choose to get the fingers or toes separated for the sake of appearances.
Chromosomal cause: This genetic condition appears to be dominant and it runs strongly in families. The gene responsible for this is located on chromosome two. This condition appears to have no drawbacks, except in cases where the range of motion is limited. Males are twice as likely to have syndactyty than females, although it is not understood why. As a note, some of the earliest studies with syndactyly were done on one Turkish family that happened to be inbred. Inbreeding does NOT cause syndactyly, and people with this trait do not have a history of inbreeding. These are false beliefs handed down because of this study.
Characteristics: There are many types of syndactyly. The first distinction is between complete and incomplete. In incomplete syndactyly, the fingers or toes are not fused all the way up, but only part of the way as a "webbing." Complete syndactyly involves two digits joined together up to the tip. By far, incomplete is more common, and comprises about one in 2000 live births. The matter is further broken down into simple, complex and complicated syndactylys. Simple involves just skin or soft tissues being fused together. Complex involves a fusing of bone or cartilage as well. Complicated syndactyly involves irregular bones and a joining together in unusual ways. It is the most difficult to help with plastic surgery.
Syndactyly (Sin-dack-til-lee)
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