SUPERNUMERARY DIGIT

Course overview

A SUPERNUMERARY DIGIT OR POLYDACTYLY IS A FREQUENTLY OCCURRING CONGENITAL MALFORMATION, PREDOMINANTLY AFFECTING THE UPPER LIMBS. INDIVIDUALS AFFECTED BY THIS CONDITION TYPICALLY EXHIBIT EXCESSIVE FINGERS OR TOES, EXCEEDING THE USUAL COUNT OF 5. POLYDACTYLY CAN BE CATEGORIZED INTO 3 DISTINCT CLASSIFICATIONS—PREAXIAL, POSTAXIAL, AND CENTRAL OR MESOAXIAL—EACH BASED ON THE SPECIFIC ANATOMICAL LOCATION INVOLVED. ALTHOUGH SUPERNUMERARY DIGITS TYPICALLY MANIFEST AS ISOLATED OCCURRENCES, THEY CAN ALSO BE ASSOCIATED WITH SPECIFIC SYNDROMES. THIS ACTIVITY REVIEWS THE ETIOLOGY, PATHOPHYSIOLOGY, EVALUATION, AND SURGICAL INTERVENTIONS RELATED TO SUPERNUMERARY DIGITS. THIS TOPIC ALSO HIGHLIGHTS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE INTERPROFESSIONAL HEALTHCARE TEAM IN IDENTIFYING SYNDROMIC ASSOCIATIONS OR POTENTIAL INVOLVEMENT OF OTHER ORGANS BY CONDUCTING COMPREHENSIVE EVALUATIONS TO ASSESS FOR UNDERLYING CONDITIONS.