The first Belgian hand transplantation-37 month term results

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J Hand Surg [br]. 2006 Mar 7

The first Belgian hand transplantation-37 month term results.

Schuind F, Van Holder C, Mouraux D, C, Meyer A, Salvia P,

Vermeylen N, Abramowicz D.

From the Department of Orthopaedics -Traumatology, Department of

Physiotherapy, Laboratory for Functional Anatomy, Department of

Psychiatry, Department of Nephrology, Erasme University Hospital,

Medical School of the Universite Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels,

Belgium, and Department of Plastic Surgery, OLV Lourdes Ziekenhuis, V

Waregem, Belgium.

The first Belgian hand transplant was a 22 year-old man with a

traumatic amputation of his dominant hand at the junction of the

middle and distal thirds of the forearm. The donor and recipient had

three HLA mismatches. The cross-match was negative. The total

ischaemic time was slightly over 6 hours. Immunosuppression included

antithymocyte globulins at induction and tacrolimus, mycophenolate

mofetil and prednisolone as induction and maintenance therapy. There

has been no episode of rejection. The only significant complications,

except for transient hyperglycaemia, were psychological. At 37 months

post-transplantation, the patient has fully incorporated his

transplant into his self-image and is back at work. He has good

sensibility (two-point discrimination of 6mm at the thumb and index

finger pulps), acceptable wrist and finger motion with functioning

intrinsic muscles. According to Chen's criteria, the result is good

to excellent.