Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Toe syndactyly, more thoughts

I have previously posted on toe syndactyly with an example of a surgical case.  http://congenitalhand.wustl.edu/search/label/Syndactyly

While this was a fascinating case with a very satisfying outcome, it is unusual.  Most cases of toe syndactyly involve the lesser toes (toes 2-5) and have little functional or appearance issues.  This type of toe syndactyly involving the lesser toes does not affect shoewear, balance, or walking.  Flip- flops can be worn without difficulty.  Many "normal" feet have a partial syndactyly between the second and third toes, an anomaly which is rarely even noticed.  Below is an example of a recent clinic visit for a child sent in with toe syndactyly on both feet.  We elected to watch this and avoid surgery.  Importantly, the hands should be examined also and this child had a partial syndactyly between the long and ring fingers on both sides.

Partial toe syndactyly between the 2nd and 3rd toes

The other foot with toe syndactyly as well.

When we examined the hands, we found bilateral partial cutaneous syndactyly between the ring and long fingers.  We are watching this for now but reconstruction may be helpful in the future.


  1. Dr. Goldfarb, my son is exactly like this. I didn't realize it's possible he may not need surgery. That sure would be nice, as I'm very nervous about him losing the use of both hands for 3 weeks!

    1. Thanks for your comment. The decision for surgery can be a difficult one. Obviously it will depend on the specifics of your son's syndactyly and your opinions after discussion with your doctor.