Cleft Hand—Our Experience of Five Cases

Abstract

Introduction Hand helps us perform our work and express ourselves. Cleft hand is an aesthetic deformity rather than functional. We document our experience in five such cases from the ages of 3 to 5 years who underwent reconstruction under general anesthesia. Materials and Methods Three patients underwent Snow–Littler procedure, one underwent osteotomy for angled metacarpal and transverse metacarpal ligament reconstruction, and one underwent removal of transverse bone and transverse metacarpal ligament reconstruction. Splintage was done for 6 to 8 weeks and physiotherapy started. Function was assessed at 6 months. Results The operating time ranged from 2 to 3 hours. No major postoperative complications were noted. The parents' satisfaction was excellent at 6 months. None of the patients needed revision surgery for recurrence or first web space widening. Conclusion Cleft hand needs to be analyzed for the adequacy of first web space. The reconstruction is aimed at functional first web space and cleft closure for providing better aesthetic results.

Keywords

• congenital
• reconstruction
• cleft hand
• limb anomalies