A man may be able to regain use of his hand, paralyzed after a serious road accident, as a result of pioneering nerve transplant surgery from his amputated leg, doctors in northern Italy have said.
Surgeons at the Turin City Hospital (CTO) transplanted part of the man’s sciatic nerve, which controls movement of his amputated leg, to his brachial plexus, a network of nerves that connects the spinal cord to the shoulders, arms and hands.
“This is the first time that someone transplanted a component of the sciatic nerve to the brachial plexus”, Paolo Titolo, one of the surgeons who performed the operation, said in an interview with Reuters on Wednesday.
Marcello Gaviglio, a 55-year-old healthcare worker had to have half of his left leg amputated after being hit by a motorcycle five months ago while on his way to work on a moped.
He suffered serious injuries to his brachial plexus as well as his leg, leaving him unable to use both his hands.
Because the part of the sciatic nerve that controls his left leg is no longer needed, it can be transplanted to the shoulder area in surgery carried out on December 21, potentially restoring movement to one of his arms.
Marcello Gaviglio had part of his sciatic nerve from his amputated leg travel to his brachial plexus, the network of nerves that connect the spinal cord to the shoulder, arm and hand. REUTERS The surgery took place in Turin’s CTO Hospital on Dec 21, after months of post-operative care. Reuters
Before it’s clear whether that’s possible, Gaviglio will have to undergo about 5 months of post-surgery care. For now, he still can’t move his hands at all.
Nerve transplant surgery is nothing new, but it has not previously involved moving the nerves that normally control the legs to areas that control the hands.
“We think this is a pioneering operation because if it works it means that brain plasticity can control other parts of the body that we didn’t expect and also open up new areas in neurostudies,” Titolo said.
The goal is to restore “some grip function” to the hand, which can then also help the other side do things, he added.
The procedure is the result of four years of research and was published in the medical journal Injury.
Surgeon Paolo Titolo and Gaviglio talk to each other after the operation December 27, 2023. REUTERS Gaviglio had to have half of his left leg amputated after being hit by a motorcycle five months ago while traveling to work on his moped. REUTERS He also suffered serious injuries to his brachial plexus as well as his leg, leaving him unable to use both his hands. Reuters
Gaviglio, the patient, said he didn’t think much of the pioneering aspect of the surgery, he just felt it was an opportunity he should take advantage of.
“I thought I’d rely on a very good team of doctors and be able to move my hand back a bit,” he said.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
