Swan Neck Deformity in a Neonate with Perinatal Asphyxia

Fingers’ swan neck deformity is an uncommon sign in neonates. This deformity has much pathology in adults such as prolonged rheumatoid diseases, tearing or weakness of ligaments or increased spasticity of muscles. In this article we report on a neonate case of swan neck deformity and discuss the possible disorders which have possibly caused this deformity. Our infant is a known case of asphyxia so we are also going to discuss that swan necks may be a complication or a comorbidity of asphyxia.

Our infant is a two month-old male preterm newborn, hospitalized due to seizures. The infant has a history of intrauterine growth retardation and perinatal asphyxia. On physical examination the patient was hypotonic and reflexes were decreased and there was a deformity on the hands which is very similar to swan neck deformity seen in adults. We requested different paraclinical modalities such as electroencephalogram, electromyography and nerve conduction velocity, computed tomography to rule out different possible diagnoses for the deformity (e.g., Ehlers Danlos syndrome, leukocyte adhesion deficiency). According to the results of the investigations, no reason was found for this deformity in the infant, and it seems that this deformity is one of the complications of asphyxia or has occurred in association with it.

Swan neck deformity is a very rare finding on neonates. It was observed in a newborn with perinatal asphyxia, and different commonly known causes of this deformity were ruled out in this newborn. Therefore, in our opinion, this deformity can possibly be one of the late manifestations of asphyxia in a newborn.