[Autoplastic foot-to-hand joint transplantations].

Our surgical experience in the field of total and partial foot-to-hand joint transplants has evolved over the past 9 years (1973). In the case of serious traumatic injury of finger joints of the hand, we don't suggest any surgical solution other than that of arthrodesis or arthroplasty of the damaged joint. In our experience joint transplantation is a reconstructive operation of the whole functionality of the injured finger. This operation partially restores the active function of the finger involved and gives both the patient and the surgeon the possibility of an alternative to arthrodesis, arthroplasty or painful instability of the destroyed joint, thus avoiding their characteristic disabilities. The transplantation guarantees a true stability of the joint and in the majority of cases the disappearance of pain. The technique described are the result of our experience in treating our clinical cases which consist of 20 patients treated, over more than 9 years at the Division of Hand Surgery of Traumatologic and Orthopaedic Center of Turin. The total number of transposed joints is 22, 16 of which are hemiarticular grafts. The operations have concerned 8 M.P. and 14 PIP joints of the fingers.