Clinical differences between typical and atypical cleft hand.

To clarify the clinical features of the cleft hand and to differentiate the typical cleft hand from the atypical, hand pattern profiles were used. In cases of typical cleft hand, the metacarpal or the proximal phalanx on either side of the cleft are longer than on the unaffected side. Conversely, in cases of atypical cleft hand, the hand pattern profile shows a dysplastic bone formation. There was an obvious difference in the metacarpal pattern between typical cleft hand and failure of formation. The metacarpal pattern of typical cleft hand is like that in webbing of normal fingers, and the metacarpal pattern of failure of formation is like the pattern in symbrachydactyly.