Treatment for central polydactyly of the foot with nine toes: a rare case report

Pediatric polydactyly is a common congenital disorder of the hand and foot that affects the development and psychology of children. It can be classified into postaxial polydactyly, preaxial polydactyly and central polydactyly. Among the three types, central polydactyly is the rarest, resulting in limited literature pertaining to the management of this condition. We present a rare case of central polydactyly of the left foot with nine toes.

A 10-month-old female child was brought to us with left congenital central mirror foot and ill-fitting shoe concerns. The foot had nine toes and eight metatarsals with tarsal duplications. To correct the contour of the foot, the central polydactylous components were excised through a V-shaped incision. After a follow-up period of two years, the outcomes of the operation were satisfactory based on the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Score, and values of the distance between the head of the first metatarsal and fifth metatarsal and the distance between the base of the first metatarsal and fifth metatarsal were improved notably. We successfully treated an extremely rare case of central mirror foot.

There is a unique challenge in treating central polydactyly of the foot, particularly when the tarsal and metatarsal bones are duplicated. Surgeons should identify it preoperatively and take into account the duplicated tarsal bones while planning the surgery.

Not applicable.