Syndactyly

A condition in which two or more of the fingers or toes are joined together. This joining can involve the bones or just the skin between the digits. Joining of the bones is called bony syndactyly. Webbing of the skin between the fingers without any joining of the bones is called cutaneous syndactyly. In complete syndactyly, the fingers or toes are completely joined together, with the connection extending from the base to the tip of the involved digits. In partial syndactyly, by contrast, the connection extends only part of the way up from the base of the involved digits. Poland syndactyly is a unique pattern of malformations in which there a defect of the chest muscle on one side of the body and cutaneous syndactyly involving the hand on the same side. The word “syndactyly” is compounded from the Greek roots “syn-“ (together) + “dactylos” (finger) = fingers together.

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Any degree of webbing or fusion of fingers or toes, involving soft parts only or including bone structure; usually autosomal dominant inheritance. SYN: symphalangism (1), symphalangy, syndactylia, syndactylism. [syn- + G. daktylos, finger or toe]

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syn·dac·ty·ly -lē n, pl -lies a union of two or more digits that is normal in many birds (as kingfishers) and in some lower mammals (as the kangaroos) and that occurs in humans often as a hereditary disorder marked by the joining or webbing of two or more fingers or toes

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n.

congenital webbing of the fingers. Adjacent fingers are joined along part or all of their length. They may be joined only by skin, or the bones of the fingers may be joined. Treatment is surgical separation of the fingers, and skin grafts may be required.

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syn·dac·ty·ly (sin-dakґtə-le) [syn- + Gr. daktylos finger] the most common congenital anomaly of the hand or foot, marked by persistence of the webbing between distal phalanges of adjacent digits, so that they are more or less completely attached. Called also webbed fingers (in the hand) and webbed toes (in the foot). syndactylous adj

Syndactyly of the hand in Apert syndrome.