Syndactyly (SD) is a congenital digital malformation characterized by webbing of the fingers and toes. Syndactyly is derived from the Greek word “syn”, meaning together, and “dactylos”, meaning digits. It is one of the most common hereditary limb disorders, with a prevalence of 3–10 in every 10,000 births, although higher estimates in the range of 10–40/10,000 have been reported.
1. Classification of Syndactyly
The classification of non-syndromic SD can be performed in different ways, based on the various phenotypes. It can be simple or complex, complete or incomplete, and osseous (bone-involved) or cutaneous (only skin-involved). The classification system of Temtamy and McKusick for non-syndromic syndactyly is largely based on the phenotypic appearance (nature or site of affected limbs), along with segregation of the disorder in affected families
[1]. The classification system of Temtamy and McKusick provided the basis for the latest modern classification system, which additionally considers advancements made clinically, as well as in basic molecular studies. In 2012, a nine-type classification system was put forward by Malik et al. that was mainly an extended version of the Temtamy and McKusick classification system
[2]. The autosomal dominant mode of inheritance is evident in most of the types
[3]. Research summarize the classification of non-syndromic syndactyly in
Table 1.
Table 1. List of genes and loci responsible for different types of non-syndromic syndactyly.
| Clinical Phenotype |
Original Name |
Major Symptoms |
Locus/Gene |
Mutation Type |
Inheritance |
References |
| Syndactyly I-a |
Zygodactyly |
Cutaneous webbing of 2nd and 3rd toes without the hand involvement |
Chr.3p21.31 |
- |
AD* |
[4][5][6] |
| Syndactyly I-b |
Lueken type |
Bilateral bony or cutaneous webbing of 3rd/4th fingers and 2nd/3rd toes |
HOXD13 |
Duplication, missense, and deletion |
AD |
[4][7] |
| Syndactyly I-c |
Montagu type |
Bilateral bony or cutaneous webbing of 3rd/4th fingers, with normal feet |
HOXD13 |
Duplication, missense, and deletion |
AD |
[4][8] |
| Syndactyly I-d |
Castilla type |
Bilateral cutaneous webbing of the 4th and 5th toes |
- |
- |
AD |
[2][4][9] |
| Syndactyly II-a |
Vordingborg type |
Distinct combinations of syndactyly and polydactyly |
HOXD13 |
Duplication, missense, frameshift, splicing and deletion |
AD |
[10][11][12] |
| Syndactyly II-b |
|
Metacarpal and metatarsal synostoses |
FBLN1 |
Missense |
AD |
[10][13] |
| Syndactyly II-c |
|
Cutaneous webbing, abnormal metacarpals |
Chr.14q11.2-12 |
- |
AD |
[14] |
| Syndactyly III |
Johnston-Kirby type |
Bilateral complete syndactyly of the 4th and 5th fingers |
Chr.7q36.3 |
- |
AD |
[5][15][16] |
| Syndactyly IV |
Haas-type polysyndactyly |
Complete cutaneous syndactyly of all fingers |
LMBR1 |
Large duplications and missense |
AD |
[17][18][19][20] |
| Syndactyly V |
Dowd type |
Synostotic fusion of metacarpals |
HOXD13 |
Duplication, missense, and deletion |
AD |
[21][22][23] |
| Syndactyly VI |
Mitten type |
Fusion of 2nd–5th fingers of the right hand |
- |
- |
AD |
[1] |
| Syndactyly VII-a |
Cenani-Lenz syndactyly (CLS) |
Bony fusion of all digits |
LRP4 |
Missense |
AR* |
[24][25] |
| Syndactyly VII-b |
|
|
15q13.3, GREM1-FMN1 |
- |
- |
[26] |
| Syndactyly VIII |
Orel-Holmes type |
Fusion of metacarpals 4/5 |
FGF16 |
Nonsense |
XR* |
[15] |
| Syndactyly IX |
Mesoaxial synostotic syndactyly (MSSD) |
Phalangeal reduction |
BHLHA9 |
Missense, frameshift, and deletion |
AR |
[27][28][29] |