Definition

Congenital amputation is the absence of a limb or part of a limb at birth.

Description

There are different types of congenital amputation birth defects. An infant with congenital amputation may be missing an entire limb or just a portion of a limb. The complete absence of a limb leaving a stump is called transverse deficiency, or amelia. When a specific part of a limb is missing, for example, when the fibula bone in the lower leg is missing, but the rest of the leg is intact, it is called a longitudinal deficiency. The condition in which only a mid-portion of a limb is missing, as when the hands or feet are attached directly to the trunk, is known as phocomelia.

Congenital amputation may be the result of the constriction of fibrous bands within the membrane that surrounds...