Topic: Future Trends in Hand and Wrist Reconstructive Surgery

The future is now - trends in healthcare require validation and re-evaluation to provide the best patient care. The hand is the precision tool of evolution with unique functional anatomy composed of several tissue types condensed in a small but complex organ covered by thin, soft tissue. Future trends in hand and wrist reconstructive surgery may encompass both minor but impactful therapeutic options as well as hand therapy and complex reconstructive procedures. Bone fixation strategies and transplantation techniques are often combined with peripheral nerve surgery, tendon transfers and vascularized soft tissue coverage to address form, function and integrity while considering the quality of life. Patient-reported outcome measures are indispensable to validate future trends in hand and wrist reconstructive surgery and make them accessible to all patients. Back to the future: The issue also addresses the rising academic discussion about the role of surgery in restoring hand and wrist function after severe amputation injuries, which has now developed into a battle between prosthesis with microsurgical signal enhancement vs. replantation, VCA or secondary reconstructive microsurgery. Plastic and orthopedic surgeons in the field of hand surgery have steadily contributed to Future Trends in Hand and Wrist Reconstructive Surgery and will do further, which will be summarized in the present issue of Plastic and Aesthetic Research.

Functional anatomy of the hand, soft tissue reconstruction, nerve transfer of the hand, prosthesis of the wrist, replantation, hand transplantation (VCA), tendon transfer

20 Oct 2023