CONGENITAL ANOMALIES OF THE UPPER LIMBS IN A UNIVERSITY CENTER: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY.

[OBJECTIVE] To identify the prevalence and characteristics of CAULs treated at a university center, aiming to improve epidemiological understanding and management of these conditions.

[METHODS] Study carried out at the Hand Surgery and Microsurgery Service of Hospital São Paulo, UNIFESP, between January 2014 and February 2023. The sample included 296 patients diagnosed with CAULs, whose data were obtained from medical records. Information on sex, type of anomaly, age at first consultation, laterality, time until surgery, number of procedures and consultations were collected. Descriptive statistical analyses and association tests were performed, considering a significance level of 0.05.

[RESULTS] It was observed that 61.15% of the patients were from São Paulo, with a higher prevalence of syndactyly (20.3%), followed by preaxial polydactyly (17.9%) and camptodactyly (11.5%). The majority (35.1%) presented bilateral involvement. Conservative treatment was used in 50% of the cases, while surgical intervention, often the only one (34.46%), was necessary in the others.

[CONCLUSION] This study provides an overview of CAULs, with findings that reinforce the predominance of anomalies such as syndactyly and the importance of individualized treatment strategies.