[Critical considerations of various surgical methods for correction of the syndactylia (report on an observation period of 10-20 years)].

During the postoperative period of 10 to 21 years 58 syndactylies in 45 hands of 30 patients were followed-up with special attention to alternations due to growth. These were prevented in the majority of the patients, if the skin cover for the commissure was done by both a dorsal and palmar triangular skin flap and for the side areas of the fingers by several transversely oriented full thickness skin grafts, separated by bridges of the finger skin. In none of the 37 syndactylies in which this procedure was performed, was a corrective operation necessary at the end of the growth period. These results harmonize with previous follow-up studies (MILLESI 1964). The observations of these patients for an additional 10 years have not shown any alterations due to growth.