phocomelia /fō′kəmē″lyə/ [Gk, phoke, seal, melos, limb] , a developmental anomaly characterized by absence of the upper part of one or more of the limbs so that the feet or hands or both are attached to the trunk of the body by short, irregularly shaped stumps, resembling the fins of a seal. The condition, caused by interference with the embryonic development of the long bones, is rare and is seen primarily as a side effect of the drug thalidomide taken during early pregnancy. Also called seal limbs. Compare amelia. −phocomelic, adj.
