Perception of the Esthetic and Functional Outcomes of Duplicate Thumb Reconstruction

摘要

Polydactyly is one of the most frequently encountered con- genitalanomaliesofthehand.Surgeryfortheduplicatethumb has progressed from a concept of simple ablation [10] to complex reconstruction. Ablative procedures commonly re- sult in complications that include narrowed first web space, scar contracture, thumb angular deformity, and joint stiffness or instability. Wassel in 1969 stated that “ablation of a super- numerary digit can create problems resulting in deformation and functional limitation” [22]. More recently, surgeons have utilized soft tissue spare parts such as tendons and ligaments from the removed component to augment the function of the reconstructed thumb with improved outcomes [1–5, 7, 14, 16, 18]. Unfortunately, unfavorable functional and esthetic out- comes can still occur and secondary corrective procedures are often performed [11].