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Hand transplantation

Warren C Breidenbach
Med J Aust 2013; 199 (4): . || doi: 10.5694/mja13.10637
Published online: 2 September 2013

Unconventional decisions made by the Australian transplant team provided the best overall outcome for their patient

Hand transplantation represents the spearhead of the new field of composite tissue allotransplantation. Since the beginning of time, it has been a medical goal to replace missing tissue with like tissue. The psychological and medical importance of achieving this goal is highlighted by the story of Cosmas and Damian, two 3rd century physician saints who successfully transplanted a leg around the year 1150, long after their deaths.1


  • University of Arizona Medical Center, Tucson, Ariz, USA.



Competing interests:

No relevant disclosures.

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  • 2. Gilbert R. Transplant is successful with a cadaver forearm. Med Trib Med News 1964; 5: 20.
  • 3. Dubernard JM, Owen E, Herzberg G, et al. Human hand allograft: report on first 6 months. Lancet 1999; 353: 1315-1320.
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  • 5. Pei G, Xiang D, Gu L, et al. A report of 15 hand allotransplantations in 12 patients and their outcomes in China. Transplantation 2012; 94: 1052-1059.
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  • 7. Dwyer KM, Webb AR, Furniss HS, et al. First hand transplant procedure in Australia: outcome at 2 years. Med J Aust 2013; 199: 285-287.
  • 8. Albert Szent-Gyorgi. In: Good IJ, editor. The scientist speculates: an anthology of partly-baked ideas. London: Heinemann, 1962.

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