Cleft Hand |Overview
Cleft Hand |Diagnosis and Treatment
How is cleft hand diagnosed?
Cleft hand is diagnosed by your child’s doctor after a careful physical examination. As part of the diagnosis, your child will have anx-rayto look for related problems with the bones of the fingers and hand.
Your child’s doctor may also check for other conditions that are sometimes associated with cleft hand. These include:
- cleft foot
- cleft lip and palate
- ectrodactyly (split hand-split foot malformation)
- encephalocele(protrusion of brain membrane)
- conditions affecting the heart and digestive systems
- deafness(rare)
How is cleft hand treated?
Not all children need surgery for a cleft hand, particularly if the condition is not too severe and they have good use of their hand. However, if your child's hand has significant functional or cosmetic problems, their doctor may recommend surgery.
There are many different surgical options to repair a cleft hand. The timing and sequence of procedures will vary from child to child. In general, the first procedure is usually done when a child is 1 year old.
The goals of surgery are to:
- close the cleft and make sure your child can use their hand effectively
- create a good working space between the thumb and index finger to allow for fine motor function
- reorganize the skin and soft tissue around the fingers
- stabilize or transfer the bones of the hand
- correct any deformities of the fingers or thumb
After surgery, your child will wear a long-armcaststabilized by pins for about four to six weeks.
After the cast is removed, your child will wear a splint to bed for several weeks to maintain alignment and help reduce scarring.Occupational therapywill help your child achieve supple motion and developmentally appropriate use of the hand. Your child’s doctor will monitor their progress regularly throughout their follow-up treatment.
What is the long-term outlook for children with cleft hand?
The quality of the reconstruction of your child's fingers depends to a large extent on how severe the original difference was. As a result of surgery, you can expect your child will be able to grasp, pinch, and release objects with their fingers. Their hand should also look better and their fingers should be more aligned.
As your child grows, it’s possible gaps and deformities may recur even after they were corrected by the original surgery. If this is happens, your child may need additional procedures.