Medical Must-See: Two thumbs up for one clever reconstruction
Surgeons said neither digit was suitable for reconstruction, so simply removing one thumb was not an option.
Surgeons in Indonesia have used a rarely reported reconstructive technique to combine parts of two poorly functioning thumbs into one functional digit in a 10-year-old with bilateral preaxial polydactyly.
The right-handed girl underwent a successful excision and reconstruction on the left hand — a Wassel type IV anomaly — one year earlier.
The right hand, which had a more severe Wassel type VII deformity, presented greater challenges, said the doctors from RT Notopuro General Hospital in Sidoarjo, East Java.
On examination, sensation and blood supply were intact. The ulnar thumb had a well-developed nail and relatively robust distal tissues; however, the radial-sided thumb appeared aplastic.
