title: Metacarpal hand: classification and guidelines for microsurgical reconstruction with toe transfers.
abstract: Metacarpal hand refers to the hand that has lost its prehensile ability through amputation of all fingers with or without amputation of the thumb. Functional restoration can be achieved by a wide variety of microvascular toe transfer techniques. When deciding which procedure should be used, careful consideration must be given to the level of amputation of the fingers as well as the functional status of the remaining thumb. In this article we propose a classification for the various patterns of the metacarpal hand along with guidelines for selection of the proper toe transfer procedure.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Chang Gung Memorial Medical College, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: F C
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: T A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: el-Gammal
authors.forename: C H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: C C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Chuang
authors.forename: H C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000673:Amputation, Traumatic / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D005383:Finger Injuries / Q000145:classification / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006225:Hand / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008866:Microsurgery; D013933:Thumb / Q000293:injuries*; D014034:Toes / Q000637:transplantation*