A child patient has a rare deformity of having 4 extra fingers and toes.

SGGPO 07/06/2023 15:26

On July 6, Gia Dinh General Hospital (Hai Chau District, Da Nang City) announced that doctors had just successfully operated on a 6-year-old patient with an extra 4 fingers and toes. This is an extremely rare case.

Some pictures of L.'s arms and legs before and after surgery

At the end of June 2023, Ms. HM (residing in Quang Nam province) brought TL (6 years old) to Gia Dinh General Hospital for examination and expressed her desire to perform surgery to remove the child's extra fingers and toes.

Each of L.'s hands and feet has 6 fingers. In total, he has 12 fingers and 12 toes. Although his fingers and toes are still developing and have normal bones, the extra fingers hinder his daily activities, especially when choosing shoes, moving around, and running.

After receiving the patient, the doctor at Gia Dinh General Hospital ordered X-rays, necessary paraclinical tests and held a consultation. To minimize the surgery time and avoid unwanted side effects from long-term anesthesia, the team decided to mobilize 3 doctors, divided into 2 groups to perform the surgery on both arms and legs at the same time.

A child patient has a rare deformity of having 4 extra fingers and toes, photo 1

Doctors perform surgery to ensure both function and aesthetics for pediatric patients.

The anesthesiologist considered and decided to remove the vein for TL under ultrasound guidance to ensure the surgery went smoothly and safely.

The treatment began with the two extra toes on the left and right feet. Doctors cut the bone, combined with ligament and tendon reconstruction, and finally performed cosmetic stitches. After removing the extra toes, doctors did the same on both hands.

After 3 hours, the surgery was successful and L. was transferred to the post-operative room. 2 days after the surgery, her hands were able to perform simple tasks such as holding objects, without any discomfort or pain.

According to Dr. Huynh Dac Anh, Orthopedic Unit - Da Nang Family General Hospital, polydactyly is a congenital condition in which there are extra fingers or toes (more than 5 fingers). This defect occurs in about 2/1000 newborns, often requiring surgery. However, the simultaneous appearance of polydactyly in all four limbs at the same time is an extremely rare case. This complex condition poses great challenges for both the patient and the surgical team because this is a complex technique, prone to complications.

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