International Medical Case Reports Journal (Apr 2024)
Pollicization of index Fingers For Bilateral Hypoplastic Thumbs of Twin Babies: Case Series At Cure Children’s Hospital of Ethiopia
Abstract
Tuji Mohammed,1 Tesfaye Mulat Jimma,2 Tewodros Tilahun Zerfu,3 Mesfin Etsub Kassaahun3 1Department of Orthopaedic and Traumatology Surgery at St. Paul Millennium Medical College, AaBET Hospital, Addis Abeba, Ethiopia; 2Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, College of Surgeons of East Central and South Africa, Cure Hospital, Addis Abeba, Ethiopia; 3Department of Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgery, College of Surgeons of East Central and South Africa, Cure Hospital, Addis Abeba, EthiopiaCorrespondence: Tuji Mohammed, Orthopaedic and Traumatology Surgeon, Department of Orthopaedic and Traumatology Surgery at St. Paul Millennium Medical College, AaBET Hospital, Addis Abeba, Ethiopia, Tel +251937525119, Email [email protected]: Thumb hypoplasia is a congenital birth defect in which a child is born with an underdeveloped or missing thumb. It is a rare condition affecting approximately 1 in 100,000 live births and occurs equally in both males and females. Pollicization is a surgical procedure used to treat severe thumb hypoplasia by transferring another finger to the thumb position.Case Presentation: Twin girls aged two years and eight months, born to a 42-year-old para III mother, presented with bilateral thumb hypoplasia. There was no family history of similar complaints, and no consanguinity was identified between their parents. After excluding other associated anomalies, index finger pollicization was performed for all four hands of the children according to modified Buck-Gramcko techniques, with modifications from Ezaki et al.Conclusion: Generally, index pollicization executed with careful preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative planning will lead to aesthetically and functionally attractive thumbs for children with congenitally severe hypoplasia or absent thumbs.Keywords: pollicization, thumb hypoplasia, congenital, twin baby
