Q: My partner has an additional growth on the small finger in both her hands. Although they are boneless and have no control she does not have any functional problem. We are planning to remove it. Does the surgery pose any problem? Will the mark of the stitches remain? Is this a hereditary problem? Some people say that these are lucky fingers and advise not to remove it? What do you suggest?

A:It can easily be removed. There will be no problem after surgery. She will have stitch marks, but they are likely to be minimal, not easily seen. There is a hereditary factor, but most reports say that this condition is autosomal recessive. This means that if her husband does not carry the gene (very likely), her children will not have the problem. If her husband does carry the gene (very unlikely), 50% of her children will have the problem. Either way, this is an easily treated disorder, and the inheritance should not be a concern. The so called ‘lucky fingers’ factor is for the patient to decide: as a surgeon I cannot give an opinion on this.