The child's condition is very complex,on her left hand, her middle and ring fingers are fused, while on her right hand, the middle, ring, and little fingers are all "stuck" together. Not only that, upon further examination, it was found that both feet have syndactyly toe, each with an additional toe.
Dad: She takes after me; if she took after her mother, there wouldn't be any issues.
The father feels very guilty. He said it's because the child takes after him, as he also has syndactyly, which was inherited from the child's grandmother.
Initial Diagnosis of Left Hand Syndactyly
This is their first child. She is very lively, and the parents have been continuously searching for a suitable surgical plan for her. Because she has syndactyly (toe) and polydactyly (toe) on both her hands and feet, the complexity of the surgery is significantly increased. The couple has been following my work for a long time and finally decided to come to my clinic for a consultation.
Both Hands and Feet Can Be Operated on Simultaneously
Even though the condition of the child's hands and feet seems extensive, after a thorough pre-surgical design, we can address all her issues in one surgery.
This approach is based on two main considerations：
1.Age
At the time, the child was already 1 year and 5 months old. For surgeries like this, children can typically undergo surgery around 6 months old, so her age was relatively advanced. We needed to resolve her hand and foot issues as early as possible.
Initial Diagnosis of Left Foot Polysyndactyly
Especially with the polysyndactyly on her feet, the child was already learning to walk. If this isn't corrected early, relearning to walk after recovery would be more painful.
2.Recovery Outcomes
For a child like her, having two or more surgeries would not only increase her suffering but could also impact her recovery.
Initial diagnosis of syndactyly involving the index, middle, and ring fingers of the right hand
With a single surgery, her post-operative dressing changes are simplified, which prevents her parents from facing the fatigue of multiple dressing appointments. After all, post-op dressing for all four limbs is complicated, so doing it all at once is beneficial for both parents and the child.
Additionally, after a single surgery, the child can undergo simultaneous hand and foot exercises, which is important for bilateral coordination. Many post-op activities require the child to practice movements herself, and multiple surgeries would inevitably affect this.
Initial Diagnosis of Right Foot Polysyndactyly
The child stopped crying, and her little hands and feet became more flexible
At the clinic, whenever her hands and feet were touched, she would start crying loudly. Children are very perceptive, and with limited hand and foot mobility before surgery, she disliked anyone touching them.
Three-Month Post-Surgery Follow-Up
After surgery, her fingers and toes were successfully separated, and the extra toes were removed. Now, she's "as light as a feather." With her parents'diligent rehabilitation and care, her little hands have become very agile. She now happily plays with building blocks with the hands that once resisted being touched.
A child's emotions are simple and expressed through their body. Now that she can move her hands and feet freely, she dances to show her happiness. Her parents are also very relieved. With continued rehabilitation, she'll only improve further!