"At that time, I had a CT scan while pregnant."
"The prenatal checkups didn't detect anything either. They only said the baby's head was a bit small, and even did an MRI. But when the baby was born, his hand was small! If only the prenatal exam had warned us…"
The parents were very sad and regretful. Their baby is smart and adorable, but his left hand is not only smaller than the right one, the fingers are also webbed together, making it impossible for him to open his hand. This was very hard for them to accept, and they have always wanted an answer:
What exactly is going on?
Syndactyly (webbed fingers), brachydactyly (short fingers), asymmetric hand size, along with malformations of the scapula, upper limb, and thoracic cage - these are all symptoms of Poland syndrome. Fortunately, this baby's condition is not too severe. The main issue is syndactyly and shortened fingers in the left hand. The chest deformity will have relatively little impact in the future.
For the parents, this situation was very puzzling, especially since there was no family history of such genetic conditions. The mother couldn't help but wonder whether the CT scan during pregnancy was to blame, and this question has weighed heavily on her mind.
In fact, the exact cause of Poland syndrome remains unclear.
From pregnancy to fetal development, the baby is influenced by numerous external factors (such as environment, second-hand smoke, radiation) and internal factors (such as the mother's health condition). Because of the time span and complexity, it is very difficult to trace the condition back to a single clear cause.
Therefore, instead of dwelling on the unknown reasons, it is more practical to focus on the child's future. The mother should not keep worrying about the CT scan. The priority is to separate the child's fused fingers, so that he can move and grasp better.
When they came to the clinic, the baby was already 7 months old and weighed over 6 kilograms, so syndactyly release surgery was an option. Since all five fingers were fused together with high webbing, the separation needed to be done all at once.
In such a case, separating all five fingers leaves large skin defects. The parents did not want skin grafts taken from other parts of the baby's body, so they chose the artificial dermis method (skin-graft-free). The child has now successfully had all five fingers separated.
But Poland syndrome is not only about syndactyly.In the future, parents must pay close attention to functional training. Because the child's left hand is inherently smaller, it needs sufficient movement and exercise to stimulate growth.
Poland syndrome is rare, so parents should learn to recognize it. If a child shows signs of short fingers, syndactyly, asymmetric hands, or chest abnormalities, parents should take notice and consult a specialized hospital in time - without falling into unnecessary anxiety!