Ectrodactyly in an adult: A rare case report

Ectrodactyly is one of the rarest congenital malformation of the limb also termed as split hand/split-foot malformation (SHFM).Majority of cases are sporadic, as is the present case, but familial types also exist with autosomal dominant inheritance. The causative factor is defect of central elements of the autopod (Hand/Foot). There is deep median cleft of the hand and/or foot. It is also known as “lobster-claw” deformity because of the cone-shaped clefts of the hands and/or feet. A rare case of severe bilateral SHFM in 46 yrs old male patient, who had adjusted with the normal pursuits of his routine life without much disability, is being presented. Both the feet were divided into two parts by a cone shaped cleft proceeding proximally and resembling a “Lobster claw”(bidactyly). Though in both the hands, the claw deformity was not seen (monodactyly) with aplasia of the rest of the phalanges and metacarpals. The present case represents non-syndromic type of SHFM as other as no known associated anomaly was seen in this patient. In the absence of any functional disability, as in the present case, reconstructive procedures were not advocated.