Hand Transplantation

The History and Evolution of Hand Transplantation, World Experience After More Than a Decade of Clinical Hand Transplantation, How to Establish a Hand Transplant Program, Recipient Selection – Who is the Right Candidate for Hand Transplantation? Donor-related Issues in Hand Transplantation, Surgical and Technical Aspects of Hand Transplantation – Is it Just Another Replant? Functional Outcome After Hand Transplantation – What can be Achieved? Strategies to Enhance Nerve Regeneration, Immunosuppressive Protocols and Immunological Challenges Related to Hand Transplantation, Acute and Chronic Rejection in Hand Transplantation – What have we Learned? Favoring the Risk Benefit Balance for Hand Transplantation – The Pittsburgh Approach Ethical, Financial and Policy Considerations of Hand Transplantation

This book presents international experimental and clinical experience on limb transplantation and other composite tissue allografts, representing the most complete and comprehensive review of this innovative and ground breaking procedure. This book is a milestone in medical literature and an asset for every scientific library.

“Imagine a young man on his way to a less-than-thirty second event — the loss of his left hand, long before he reached middle age.” The Fourth Hand asks an interesting question: “How can anyone identify a dream of the future?” The answer: “Destiny is not imaginable, except in dreams or to those in love.” While reporting a story from India, a New York television journalist has his left hand eaten by a lion; millions of TV viewers witness the accident. In Boston, a renowned hand surgeon awaits the opportunity to perform the nation’s first hand transplant; meanwhile, in the distracting aftermath of an acrimonious divorce, the surgeon is seduced by his housekeeper. A married woman in Wisconsin wants to give the one-handed reporter her husband’s left hand—that is, after her husband dies. But the husband is alive, relatively young, and healthy. This is how John Irving’s tenth novel begins; it seems, at first, to be a comedy, perhaps a satire, almost certainly a sexual farce. Yet, in the end, The Fourth Hand is as realistic and emotionally moving as any of Mr. Irving’s previous novels—including The World According to Garp, A Prayer for Owen Meany, and A Widow for One Year—or his Oscar-winning screenplay of The Cider House Rules. The Fourth Hand is characteristic of John Irving’s seamless storytelling and further explores some of the author’s recurring themes—loss, grief, love as redemption. But this novel also breaks new ground; it offers a penetrating look at the power of second chances and the will to change.

This brilliant synthesis summarizes all of the recent accomplishments – as well as the ongoing research – in the field of composite tissue transplantation. It includes sections on hand transplantation and vascularized bone marrow transplantation. The volume focuses on immunology and the biotechnology/bioengineering aspects of transplantation surgery, as those two areas have demonstrated the most growth within the last five years in terms of current research.

Due to the multidisciplinary approach presentation of the basic plastic surgery knowledge with adjustment to new technologies, the book targets not only plastic surgeons but also hand, microsurgeons, hand and neck specialists, and breast surgeons. It will be of great interest to young surgeons in training for fast comprehensive overview of plastic surgery when preparing for board exams as well as envision the future of new surgical technologies and make the decision on their sub-specialty choice.

This book presents the human hand from an overall perspective – from the first appearance of hand-like structures in the fins of big fishes living millions of years ago to today ́s and the future’s mind-controlled artificial hands. Much focus is given to the extremely well-developed sensation of the hand, its importance and its linkage to brain plasticity mechanisms. How can active hands rapidly expand their representational area in the brain? How can the sense of touch substitute for other deficient senses, such as in Braille reading where hand sensation substitutes for missing vision? How can the mere observation of active hands, belonging to others, activate the hand area in the observer’s own brain and what is the importance of this phenomenon for learning by imitation and the understanding of other peoples’ actions, gestures and body language? Why are some of us left-handed and what are the consequences from cultural and physiological viewpoints? Why does phantom sensation and phantom pain occur after hand amputation, and what can we do about it? Why can salamanders regenerate new extremities while humans can not? Is it possible to transplant a hand from a diseased individual to an amputee? Can artificial robotic hands be controlled by our mind, and can they ever gain the role of a normal hand? What role did the hand and the brain play during evolution in tool construction and development of language and cognitive functions? The hand has a high symbolic value in religion, literature and art and our hands have a key role in gestures and body language. The Hand and the Brain is aimed at anybody with interest in life sciences, in the medical field especially hand surgeons, orthopaedic specialists, neurologists and general practitioners, and those working in rehabilitation medicine and pain treatment. The original Swedish version of The Hand and the Brain has also become very popular among physiotherapists, occupational therapists, psychologists, and among a general population with an interest in science.

The first textbook of its kind dealing with composite tissue allograft and allograft transplantation, provides an excellent overview on the subject. It provides a clear description of the current status of the transplant of every composite tissue allograft already performed and others which are still at the basic experimental level.The editors of the book, who also contribute chapters in their expertise, are world renowned surgeons. This book opens with an introductory chapter on the history of this type of transplantation and then details the clinical experience in each graft such as hand, larynx, face, uterus and the related histopathology, immunosuppression and immunomodulation.A multidisciplinary and comprehensive presentation of the various aspects of this new area of transplantation will allow the reader to understand the complexity and the challenges of composite tissue transplantation. A number of important topics are analyzed and discussed in detail, such as the ethical, medicolegal, psychological and immunological implications. New rehabilitation techniques and strategies, together with innovative tools for the functional evaluation of the transplanted parts, are highlighted. A section on the experimental work underlines what lies ahead of us./a

This book offers comprehensive coverage of reconstructive transplantation surgery. It represents the culmination of decades of practice and research surrounding reconstructive transplantation, including transplantation of upper and lower extremities, face, abdominal wall etc. from donor to recipient. Chapters are organized from in a formulaic manner covering anatomy, approach, considerations and preparations, case studies, and outcomes. Extensive details on the most challenging parts of transplantation including donor selection, vascular considerations, and the latest research on immunosuppressant drugs, makes this book a triumph of experience from the experts of the world renowned Cleveland Clinic. This book, as is the case with the clinic itself, brings together experts from teams across disciplines in a collaborative effort to illustrate decision-making for various large tissue transplants. Diverse perspectives from head and neck surgery, plastic surgery, craniofacial surgery, microvascular surgery, transplant surgery and even psychology contribute to the wealth of knowledge collected in this volume and broaden the readership. Reconstructive Transplantation is a must-have resource for surgeons, physicians, and residents in the fields of head and neck surgery, plastic surgery, craniofacial surgery, and trauma surgery.