I came across the cases you've treated online, and I hope you can help preserve all five fingers for my child.
This is a 5-month-old baby. He was brought in by his grandfather, with both parents and grandmother accompanying him into the consultation room. As soon as they entered, the father took out an X-ray, hoping that I could help save the baby's five fingers.
Typical Floating Thumb
Although I had already observed the child's condition with the naked eye – a typical "floating thumb," I took a look at the X-ray, carefully estimating the time for the surgery.
Although I had already observed the child's condition with the naked eye – a typical "floating thumb," I took a look at the X-ray, carefully estimating the time for the surgery.
"Floating thumb" is a congenital deformity of the fingers, characterized by the complete or partial absence of metacarpal bones, with only a lax skin connection between the thumb and the palm, rendering the thumb entirely non-functional.
Among our five fingers, the thumb is the most crucial. If we divide the fingers based on their abilities, the thumb contributes to 50% of the hand's functionality. For children with floating thumb, actions like grabbing, gripping, and pinching are entirely impossible.
The Floating Thumb Preservation Plan Brings Hope to the Whole Family
Before I could finish explaining the child's specific situation, the father began speaking, "I know you can perform the half-palm bone transplant reconstruction surgery.Do you think the child is suitable for this procedure? After the surgery, will the child be able to write with a pen?"
I answered each of the father's questions and assured him that the child could undergo this surgery, and with timely postoperative functional exercises, the child would be able to write with a pen.
After hearing my response, the father expressed his desire for me to perform the surgery as soon as possible.However, since the child had not yet met the surgical criteria, I suggested taking another X-ray after some time to assess whether surgery would be possible then.
What is the Half-Palm Bone Transplant Reconstruction Surgery?
The half-palm bone transplant reconstruction surgery differs from other approaches to addressing floating thumb in that:
1.It does not involve the straightforward removal of the thumb, known as index thumb transformation.This method removes the thumb and moves the index finger to the thumb's position for use.
2.It does not require taking bone from elsewhere, such as Metatarsal bone reconstruction (not taking bone from the foot).While Metatarsal bone reconstruction can preserve all five fingers and yields good results, it may have some impact on the foot since it requires taking part of the bone from the foot.
3.The half-palm bone transplant reconstruction is performed only on the child's hand, without any other incisions.If the child's physical conditions meet the requirements, the surgery can typically take place between 6-8 months, a time when the establishment of thumb functionality is advantageous.
In fact, index thumb transformation is relatively simple, but over the years, having interacted with many parents, a significant number of them prefer not to have the floating thumb removed but rather hope to preserve all five fingers.
I'll share a set of cases featuring the preservation of all five fingers through floating thumb half-palm bone transplant reconstruction – can you see the difference?
