Pediatric Amniotic Band Syndrome

Our experts at Children’s Hospital can provide specialized care for amniotic band syndrome. We offer personalized support for your family during every step of your child’s treatment.

Amniotic band syndrome (ABS) occurs when fibrous strands form in the amniotic sac — the protective membrane around your baby in the uterus. These strands can sometimes wrap around fingers, toes or other parts of the baby, which can affect growth or development.

Any baby can develop ABS, and the cause is unknown. Because babies with ABS can develop serious issues, it’s important to have specialized care and monitoring. At Children’s Hospital, we offer specialty treatments only found at academic health systems like MU Health Care.

Our Team Approach to ABS

Our expert ABS care team includes:

Fetal interventionists and surgeons: Closely monitor ABS and, in some cases, perform procedures before birth to release the band, helping prevent amputations and other complications.
Pediatric plastic surgeons: Specialize in surgery to correct hands, limbs and other body parts affected by amniotic bands.
Pediatric orthopaedic surgeons: Offer advanced treatments to correct issues affecting the feet and other complications.
Hand surgeons: Specially trained plastic surgeons and orthopaedic surgeons who can separate fused fingers and lengthen fingers.
Certified hand therapists: Can help your child build their hand strength and flexibility.
Speech-language pathologists: Can support kids with cleft lips and palates caused by amniotic bands.
Developmental pediatricians: Oversee your child’s overall growth and development.
Pediatric nurses: Provide education and support for your family.

Signs of Amniotic Band Syndrome

When amniotic bands wrap around your baby’s body inside the uterus, they can cause several issues, including:

A “groove” in one of the limbs
Fusion of fingers or toes (syndactyly)
Swelling of the arms or legs
Clubfoot (inward turned foot)
Cleft lip and palate
Amputations of fingers, toes or larger parts of the arms or legs

In rare cases, an amniotic band can cut off a baby’s blood supply, which can be life-threatening. Our team provides careful monitoring and expert intervention to protect your baby.

Getting Help for ABS

Sometimes, your OB/GYN can diagnose amniotic band syndrome during a prenatal ultrasound. To prevent serious complications like amputations, a maternal fetal medicine specialist may perform fetal surgery before birth to release the bands.

In other cases, your baby may be diagnosed with ABS after birth. Your OB/GYN, maternal fetal medicine specialist or pediatrician may refer you to our team of ABS specialists. Or you can reach out to us directly.

We’re skilled in treating kids of all ages born with conditions that require complex medical care. We’ll assemble an in-house team of experts to provide treatment that’s personalized to your family’s needs.

How We Treat Amniotic Band Syndrome

If your child has ABS, they may benefit from surgery to correct their condition as they grow and develop. Depending on your child’s condition, they may need more than one procedure. When you meet with our team, we can recommend a timeline for your child’s treatment based on their specific needs.

Fetal Surgery

Our highly skilled fetal care team can perform minimally invasive surgery before birth (in utero) to release amniotic bands. Such fetal care can help prevent disabilities or life-threatening complications to support your baby’s long-term health.

Hand Surgery for Syndactyly

If your baby’s fingers are fused together (syndactyly), their hand function may be limited. Our hand surgeons offer surgery to separate the fingers when your baby is three to six months old.

Reconstructive Surgery for Hands and Limbs

As your child grows, we can perform other surgeries to improve the function and appearance of their hand and limbs. Depending on your child’s needs, reconstructive surgery can help:

Deepen the space between your child’s fingers
Reduce the “grooves” in the fingers
Reshape a finger or limb

Such advanced procedures may involve skin grafts from your child’s abdomen or other places on the body.

Our pediatric plastic surgeons are also highly skilled in performing complex procedures like microsurgery. This technique involves reattaching tissue and nerves from one body part to another. For example, we can use microsurgery to transfer a baby’s toe to their hand to act as a thumb and allow for better movement, grasp, and everyday use as your child grows.

Our pediatric orthopaedic surgeons also offer a bone-lengthening technique called distraction osteogenesis. We may suggest this leading-edge surgery to make your child’s fingers longer, if needed.

Surgery for Cleft Lip or Palate

If an amniotic band created a gap in your child’s lip or palate, our pediatric plastic surgeons can repair it. We offer the full range of procedures for all types of cleft lip and palate. Our speech-language pathologists can also help kids with these conditions improve their speaking skills.

Surgery for Clubfoot

For children with feet that turn inward (clubfoot), our pediatric orthopaedic surgeons can perform surgery to correct the condition. This procedure can improve your child’s balance and stability, so they can move better.

Hand Therapy and Other Therapy

Certified hand therapists can teach you special exercises to help improve your baby’s hand function. Our physical therapists and occupational therapists also offer family-focused support to help your child improve their strength and motion.