Webbed fingers

Adrian E. Flatt, MD, FRCS

Webbing of the digits, or syndactyly, is not caused by the fingers sticking together in the womb; rather, it is caused by failure, during the sixth to eighth weeks of intrauterine life, of the usual longitudinal interdigital necrosis that normally separates the fingers. This "webbing" is the most common abnormality of the newborn hand. It happens either as an isolated anomaly or as part of a syndrome. When it occurs alone it is always inherited as an autosomal-dominant disorder. Five types of syndactyly are generally recognized.