Polydactyly Questions

Common facts about polydactyly are: 1) the growth of extra finger or extra toe generally happens in the right hand and left foot respectively. 2) polydactyly affects more on hands and less on feet. 3) polydactyly usually occurs more in men as compared to women. 4) one out of 500 to 1000 babies are born with polydactyly. 5) its occurrence, however, is more common in the african american population as 1 out of 150 babies are born with an extra finger or toe.

There are several conditions for polydactyly and the treatment depends on the conditions a person shows. These include - 1) small finger duplication (there are no medical complications in this condition and hence, treatment is not required. A person, however, can go for the treatment for cosmetic reasons. Extra small fingers without bones can be removed easily. Inorder to halt the supply of blood, doctor ties a tight string on the base of the extra finger. The extra soft tissue falls on its own ...more

Polydactyly is not new to us as we can see people with extra fingers on their hands or toes. This can happen either on one hand or both the hands and legs can be involved. Polydactyly involves three main types. These are: duplication of small finger or postaxial polydactyly, thumb duplication or preaxial polydactyly, central polydactyly.