OBJ 12

POLYDACTYLY
BY: KELSEY VANPELT
 WHAT IS POLYDACTYLY?

POLYDACTYLY IS A MEDICAL TERM USED TO DESCRIBE EXTRA

FINGERS ON THE HANDS OR TOES ON THE FEET. SINCE THE EXTRA
FINGERS OR TOES ARE PRESENT AT BIRTH, THEY ARE CALLED A
CONGENITAL ANOMALY.
IF THEY ARE ADJACENT TO THE THUMB OR BIG TOE, THEY ARE CALLED PRE-AXIAL
DIGITS.

IF THEY ARE ADJACENT TO THE PINKY FINGER OR TOE, THEY ARE CALLED POST-AXIAL
DIGITS.

EXTRA DIGITS CAN ALSO BE CENTRALLY LOCATED IN THE HAND OR FOOT

POLYDACTYLY
 WHAT CAUSES POLYDACTYLY?

POLYDACTYLY OCCURS WHEN THE BODY FOLLOWS A

DIFFERENT SET OF DIRECTIONS THAN USUAL WHILE
FORMING THE HANDS OR FEET DURING DEVELOPMENT.

**SOME SYNDROMES THAT MIGHT BE PRESENT WITH POLYDACTYLY

INCLUDE GREIG CEPHALOPOLYSYNDACTYLY SYNDROME (GCPS) OR
BARDET-BIEDL SYNDROME (BBS)
 HOW IS POLYDACTYLY INHERITED?
SOMETIMES EXTRA DIGITS APPEAR TO BE A STRONG FAMILY TRAIT
THAT DOES NOT USUALLY SKIP GENERATIONS. WE WOULD CONSIDER
THE GENE CHANGE TO BE DOMINANT, SO THE CHANCE OF PASSING
50 PERCENT
THE POLYDACTYLY TRAIT ON TO A CHILD IS WITH EACH
PREGNANCY IF ONE PARENT HAS POLYDACTYLY.

A GENE CHANGE MIGHT BE RECESSIVE, IN WHICH CASE THE CHANCE

OF A PERSON WITH POLYDACTYLY PASSING THAT TRAIT ONTO A CHILD
IS MUCH SMALLER.

THIS IS AN AUTOSOMAL CHROMOSOME CAUSING DISORDER WHICH

MEANS IT AFFECTS BOYS AND GIRLS THE SAME.

WHEN POLYDACTYLY DOES OCCUR AS A FAMILY TRAIT, IT MAY *Black means has Polydactyly,
OCCUR IN DIFFERENT COMBINATIONS. ONE FAMILY MEMBER MAY white means does not.
HAVE EXTRA DIGITS ONLY ON THEIR HANDS, WHILE ANOTHER FAMILY *Dominant allele example.
MEMBER MAY HAVE EXTRA DIGITS ONLY ON THEIR FEET.
LIFE EXPECTANCY FOR PEOPLE
WITH POLYDACTYLY

THE LIFE EXPECTANCY FOR PEOPLE WITH

POLYDACTYLY IS THE SAME AS A NORMAL PERSON
WITHOUT THE DISORDER.
 WHAT RESTRICTIONS DOES IT HAVE?
IF THE EXTRA FINGER OR TOE IS REMOVED, THEN MOST CHILDREN
WILL HAVE FULL RANGE OF MOTION WITH THEIR OTHER FINGERS AND
TOES.

SOMETIMES, IF THE FINGER OR TOE IS NOT REMOVED, THE

EXTRANEOUS FINGER/TOE HAS NO RANGE OF MOTION, THEREFORE
THE DEXTERITY WOULD BE AFFECTED IN THE HAND AND THE BALANCE
AFFECTED IN THE FOOT.
 CAN POLYDACTYLY BE TREATED?
FOR CHILDREN WITH MINOR CASES OF POLYDACTYLY,
THE EXTRA FINGER OR TOE MAY BE TIED AT ITS BASE TO
RESTRICT BLOOD FLOW INTO IT. EVENTUALLY THE EXTRA
DIGIT WILL FALL OFF.

OTHER TIMES, A PEDIATRIC ORTHOPEDIC SURGEON WILL

REMOVE THE EXTRA FINGER OR TOE AND RECONSTRUCT
THE PART OF THE HAND OR FOOT THAT WAS AFFECTED.
THE SURGEON WILL SAVE THE DIGIT THAT BEST FITS WITH
THE OTHERS.

THIS SURGERY USUALLY OCCURS WHEN THE CHILD IS

BETWEEN ONE AND TWO YEARS OLD.

POLYDACTYLY CANNOT BE PREVENTED.