Prevalence and characteristics of congenital hand and foot anomalies requiring surgery in remote areas of Thailand

Abstract

Background : To identify patients in remote regions of Thailand who suffer from congenital anomalies, including cleft lip, cleft palate, and various types of congenital anomalies, in November 1998, the Relief and Community Health Bureau, Thai Red Cross Society, under the HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn initiated the “cosmetic surgery project for cleft lips and cleft palates and other deformities” to solve this problem. The surgery mission had been a successful charity project for the last 18 years. Most of the patients are cleft lip and cleft palate patients along with all anomalies of hand and foot.

Objective : The purpose of this study was to analyze the prevalence and characteristics of congenital hand and foot anomalies requiring surgery in remote areas of Thailand.

Methods Data of surgical patients who presented with congenital hand and foot anomalies form 2007 - 2014 were retrospectively reviewed.

Results : Four hundred and three cases of congenital hand and foot anomalies were operated on: 202 males (50.10%) and 201 females (49.90%). The average age at surgery was 10.90 years (two months – 67.00 years).        The most common anomaly was polydactyly (205 cases, 50.90%), followed by syndactyly (142 cases, 35.20%), constriction ring syndrome (19 cases, 4.70%), camptodactyly (11 cases, 2.70%) and macrodactyly (7 cases,1.70%).
Rare conditions (<1.00%) were radial club hand (2 cases), congenital trigger thumb (2 cases), clasped thumb (two cases), and clinodactyly (1 case).

Conclusions : Polydactyly (50.90%) and syndactyly (35.20%) were the two most common congenital hand and foot anomalies that required surgery in a remote area of Thailand. The prevalence of congenital hand and foot anomalies that required surgery was 1.15 per 1,000 live births.