Congenital Hand Disorders

Congenital malformations of the hand encompass myriad deformities, all of which carry different functional and cosmetic implications for the patient and parents. Congenital malformations occur with relative frequency. In 1982, the Congenital Malformations Committee of the International Federation of Societies for Surgery of the Hand reported an incidence of approximately 11 anomalies per 10,000 population. These data were accumulated in seven centers located in the United Kingdom, Japan, and the United States. A similar incidence was reported earlier by Conway and Bowe (1 per 626 live births). A more recent study from Western Australia by Giele et al. reported an incidence of 1 in 506, with 46% having another nonhand anomaly. The most commonly encountered anomalies of the hand are polydactyly, syndactyly, congenital amputations, camptodactyly, clinodactyly, and radial clubhand. Approximately 10% of patients with congenital anomalies of the upper extremity have significant cosmetic or functional deficits.