Type A ulnar polydactyly of the hand: a classification system and clinical series

To propose a classification system for type A ulnar polydactyly based on radiographic findings and characterize the demographic features of patients with these deformities.

We identified 49 patients with type A ulnar polydactyly of the hand who were seen in our institution over 20 years. Patients' medical records and radiographs were retrospectively reviewed and used to distinguish morphological subtypes.

Ninety-six percent of the deformities (64/67) were allocated to 1 of the 5 subgroups of our suggested classification, and the type that originated from the metacarpophalangeal joint was the most common. Sixty-nine percent of patients in our series (34/49) had either bilateral type A or a contralateral type B ulnar polydactyly, and 63% (31/49) had ulnar polydactyly of one or both feet. Twenty-four percent of patients (12/49) had associated syndromes or congenital anomalies involving areas other than the hand or foot. The most common syndrome associated with type A ulnar polydactyly was chondroectodermal dysplasia (n = 3). Sixty-five percent of the patients (32/49) were Caucasian, 20% were Hispanic (10/49), 12% were African American (6/49), and one was Asian. The percentage of African Americans in our series was similar to that in the general patient population seen in our institution.

The majority of type A ulnar polydactyly can be classified into 1 of 5 morphological subtypes that have potential clinical relevance regarding surgical treatment. In patients with type A ulnar polydactyly, contralateral hand and foot polydactyly is frequent. Associated congenital anomalies and syndromes can also be present.