Boy has a rare 8-fingered hand

The boy received plastic surgery and reconstructed hand function at FV Hospital. According to Dr. Stéphane Guero, a French expert who founded the French Hand Surgery Institute – the main surgeon of the operation, this case is a birth defect, called a “mirror hand”.

Dr. Stéphane Guero said that the patient’s left hand has 8 fingers, divided into two symmetrical sides about the axis of the hand, twice the number of bones in the hand. But the left hand has no thumb function, lacks the radial bone of the forearm, and has two ulna (normal people have one radial and one ulna).

Photograph of the hand bone of a 5-year-old child. Photo: BVCC

“The cause of the malformation has not been determined exactly, it is suspected that it is due to genetic variation,” said Dr. Guero.

Because there is no thumb, this patient cannot grasp, only grips small objects, loses the function of the hand, making it difficult for the child in daily activities.

To restore hand function and aesthetics, Dr. Guero removed 3 extra, small, less functional fingers. At the same time, the third finger (from left to right) is moved to the old second finger position to form a thumb.

Dr Guero said the most difficult thing was choosing a new thumb, because it had to determine the vascular, nervous and muscular systems for each finger. In addition, the team must carefully calculate the movement of the finger selected as the thumb to the new optimal position, determine the length of the new thumb to shape, ensure the aesthetic and complete function of the table. hand. As for the arm, the baby can still bend, so the doctor has not handled this part.

Doctor Stéphane Guero examines the hand of a pediatric patient. Photo: BVCC

The operation was successful, the patient continued to be pinned to fix the finger for 6 weeks. After that, the baby will be guided and gradually get used to the thumb and grip function of the hand as usual.

This is one of 21 rare cases of hand deformities, mostly in children. The youngest case was just 2 years old and was operated on by Dr. Guero at FV Hospital in 7 days back in Vietnam.

Over the years, Dr. Guero has returned to Vietnam many times to help hundreds of patients get rid of their disabilities.