Houston
Medical
Case
Summary
Toe
to Finger Transplantation
The human hand must
have at least a thumb and two good fingers to supply power and dexterity
needed to control small objects and to lift and carry heavier objects.
No prostheses or substitutions can give the sensation to touch, size,
shape, durability and appearance of a finger. Treatment/outcome:
Reconstruction with multiple microvascular free toe-to-hand transfers,
where toes survive complete detachment from the body by sewing together
at the hand microscopic nerves and blood vessels less than 1 millimeter
in diameter. Transferring the second toes from both the right and left
feet to the injured hand and connecting blood vessels and nerves resulted
in an excellent appearance of the hand and feet, as well as good sensation
and function. As to appearance, few people are able to detect missing
toe when patient wears sandals. The new fingers do not look like they
came from anywhere else - one of the reconstructed fingers now wears
an engagement ring.
Physician:
Dr.
Mark Henry is a board-certified orthopaedic surgeon who specializes
in surgery of the hand and upper extremity.
Dr. Mark Henry
Hand &
Wrist Center of Houston
1200 Binz, Suite 1200
Houston, TX 77004
713-333-4477 or Fax 713-333-4478
For more information:
Finger,
Hand and Wrist injuries
Web resources:
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