Process of Obtaining Social Consensus and 3-Year Functional Outcomes of the First Hand Allotransplantation in Korea.

Background: On February 2, 2017, the surgical team of ten board-certified hand specialists of W Hospital in Korea successfully performed the nation's first hand transplantation at Yeungnam University Medical Center (YUMC). This paper reports on the legal, financial, and cultural hurdles that were overcome to open the way for hand transplantation and its functional outcomes at 36 months after the operation.

Methods: W Hospital formed a memorandum of understanding with Daegu city and YUMC to comply with government regulations regarding hand transplantation.

Lessons Learned in the Authors' First Years of Wide-Awake Hand Surgery at the W Hospital in Korea.

Wide-awake local anesthesia no tourniquet (WALANT) is a promising development for surgeons and patients through improved operation outcomes in hand and wrist surgery. The authors have mostly used WALANT for flexor and extensor tendon repair, tenolysis, and tendon transfer. Its application at W Hospital in korea has bolstered surgeon confidence in tendon repair integrity, gliding ability, and transfer tension via direct observation and patient feedback.

Recent Advances in Immediate Toe-to-Hand Transfer.

Toe-to-hand transfer is the last option for definitive reconstruction of the hand when digits have been lost as a result of traumatic amputations, congenital anomalies, or tumor ablation. Immediate toe-to-hand transfer for the treatment of acute hand injuries is defined as an emergency operation performed when replantation is impossible or failed. The aim of this article is to propose the indications, advantages and disadvantages of immediate toe to hand transfer as well as to compare the overall results with elective cases.

The clinical efficacy of short-term steroid treatment in multilevel anterior cervical arthrodesis.

Background Context: Dysphagia is the most common complication of anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF), and it is closely related to prevertebral soft-tissue swelling (PSTS). A few studies have found that local or systemic methylprednisolone is effective against laryngopharyngeal edema and airway obstruction.

Purpose: To assess the effectiveness of short-term use of systemic methylprednisolone in relieving dysphagia and decreasing PSTS during the hospitalization period.