Doctors in Scotland have performed a rare surgery on a fisherman by replacing his missing thumb with one of his toes.
Doctors in Scotland have performed a rare surgery on a fisherman by replacing his missing thumb with one of his toes. Donald Gunn lost his thumb after an accident on sea when his hand was caught in a rope. Doctors at the Aberdeen Royal Infirmary were able to replace his thumb by removing his second toe from Gunn’s left foot in a complex surgery that took more than 12 hours.
The hospitals’ consultant plastic surgeon Amir Tadros said that the doctors made sure that they removed a toe in such a manner that it would not affect Gunn’s balance. Dr Tadros added that the procedure was nothing new and has been in practice for more than 50 years though they are very rarely performed.
“It's a rare operation, it's been around since the 60s, but is not very often done. Mr Gunn seemed to fit the criteria. It seems to be successful at the moment”, he said.
Source-Medindia