NEW DELHI: In an extraordinary and rare surgical procedure, doctors in New Delhi have successfully reconstructed a 20-year-old man’s thumb using a toe from his own severed leg.
The young man was the victim of a traumatic accident when his motorcycle was struck by a tractor. According to a statement from Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, the collision resulted in the complete amputation of his left leg below the knee, as well as his left thumb.
Doctors initially attempted to reattach both severed parts, but found that the leg and the thumb were too badly crushed and damaged to be salvaged.
However, surgeons noted that the second toe on the amputated leg was still intact. In a complex and innovative procedure, the medical team successfully transferred the viable toe to the man’s hand, skillfully rebuilding it into a functional thumb. This successful surgery is being hailed by medical experts as a remarkable example of the body’s potential for reconstruction.
