Reconstruction of the left thumb with a second toe transfer in a musician's hand

Abstract

The free microvascular transfer of toes for reconstruction of the thumb remains to be an area of interest in microsurgery. The goal of reconstruction is to restore the prehensile abilities of the thumb, while achieving acceptable appearance and minimizing morbidity at the donor site. We report the case of a 21-year-old man who had second toe-to-thumb reconstruction after post-traumatic amputation of his left thumb at the metacarpophalangeal level. Before the accident, he played a musical string instrument, the “Saz”, regularly. The traditional method of playing the Saz is to pluck the strings with the fingers of the right hand and pick the strings with the thumb and fingers of the left hand. Three months after the operation, he was playing the saz again, proving that he had sufficient strength in opposition, adduction, and flexion force in the transferred toe.

Key Words::

• Toe-to-thumb transfer
• second toe transfer
• thumb reconstruction
• musician's hand