- Discussion:
- annular bands may present clinically with either complete amputation of part of thumb as well as the rest of the hand;
- constriction bands higher up in the arm, causing severe edema in parts distal to the constriction band;
- annular bands are often associated w/ acrosyndactyly;
- annular band syndrome is sporadic, not inherited;
- inherent in this anomaly are hypoplasia, brachydactyly, symphalangism, symbrachydactyly, and congenital amputations;
- Treatment:
- in past, recommended treatment called for the surgeon to stage at least two Z-plasties to remove the constriction band;
- currently many recommend removal of the entire band at one operation;
- when bands involve the digits, extreme care must be exercised to prevent necrosis of the tips of the already shortened digits;
- syndactyly:
- must be released and the bones aligned to create three or four fingers
Annular constricting bands.