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Kyrie CarterA little American boy born with five thumbs.
Country:
 USA |
Content:
- An American Boy Born with Five Thumbs
- The Science Behind the Surgery
- The Procedure
- A Common Occurrence
- Family History and Reasons for Surgery
- The Future
- Polydactyly: A Limb Deformity
- On the side of the little finger (ulnar polydactyly) - Most common
- Skin and soft tissue - easiest to remove
An American Boy Born with Five Thumbs
The Extraordinary SurgeryAt the tender age of 16 months, Kyri Carter, a resident of Fresno, California, underwent a remarkable surgery to restore his hands to a normal state. Born with two thumbs on his right hand and three on his left, Kyri was successfully treated by surgeons at Valley Children's Hospital.
The procedure involved fusing the boy's two thumbs on his right hand. A previous surgery had removed the extra thumbs on his left hand. Surgeons report that Kyri is recovering well, and his father eagerly anticipates the day when his "little man" can play basketball.
The Science Behind the Surgery
Dr. Mimi Chao, lead pediatric surgeon who operated on Carter, explained that the two thumbs on the boy's right hand were actually one thumb. During development in the womb, a baby's hands form as a paddle or mitten-like structure and, by the sixth or seventh week of pregnancy, certain tissues break down to form individual fingers.
When there is difficulty in breaking down the tissues, the child is born with webbed fingers. If tissue breaks down where it shouldn't, the result is a splitting of the finger, creating two or more fingers that are not fully formed.
"Some families might think, 'Wow, two thumbs. Maybe they can pitch a baseball really well?'" Chao said. "But it doesn't work that way."
The Procedure
During the surgery on February 16, 2017, Dr. Chao took the "better" parts of Kyri's right-hand thumbs and combined them into one. The "outside" thumb was retained because it had a good joint connecting it to the hand. Parts of the tendons, ligaments, and skin were harvested from the "inside" thumb and "interlaced" with the straightened thumb.
A Common Occurrence
The procedure is reportedly just one of many such surgeries performed each year. Last year, 195 young patients with extra fingers were treated at Valley Children's Hospital.
"It's a not-uncommon embryonic developmental anomaly," Chao said. "And it's one of the things we do a lot of here."
Family History and Reasons for Surgery
Approximately one in 1,000 children is born with extra fingers, but it is much rarer for siblings to have the condition. Kyri's four paternal siblings were all born with extra fingers, but none had the condition corrected with surgery.
Harold Carter, the boy's father, did not want Kyri to experience the same teasing that his other children had endured. Although Harold is Kyri's biological father, the other four children live in Las Vegas with their mother.
Dr. Chao said that while pediatric plastic surgery can be done for cosmetic reasons, it is often performed to allow children to live as normally as possible. It helps them to blend in and not face teasing early in life.
The Future
Many problems can be detected while a child is still in the womb, allowing families to consult with plastic surgeons before their baby is born. The goal of Kyri's surgery was not just to leave him with one thumb, but to provide him with a stable, healthy thumb that would allow him to grasp.
During the February 2017 surgery, a small piece of skin was also removed from the boy's left palm. The piece of skin had the potential to become another finger "trying to grow out."
After the procedure, Kyri's hands were set in casts. Once his hands have healed, the casts will come off and he will undergo physical therapy and continued monitoring. Depending on his progress, he may need additional surgery in the future.
His father's wish is that Kyri will be able to play basketball someday soon. "He's going to try every sport there is!" Harold excitedly exclaimed.
Polydactyly: A Limb Deformity
Polydactyly is a limb deformity in which a person has one or more extra fingers developing on the hand in three possible locations:
On the side of the little finger (ulnar polydactyly) - Most common
On the side of the thumb (radial polydactyly) - Less commonIn the middle (central polydactyly) - Rarest
There are varying degrees of severity of polydactyly. The extra finger is typically smaller and less developed than the normal fingers and can consist of:
Skin and soft tissue - easiest to remove
Skin, soft tissue, and bone but no joint - harder to remove or reconstruct
Skin, soft tissue, and bone with a joint - more like a fully formed finger; the most difficult to remove or reconstruct
African Americans are more likely to inherit the condition than other ethnic groups.
