Hand surgery in a new“hand-brain” era:change the hand,rebuild the brain

手外科进入“手-脑新纪元”:改变手,重塑脑

Amputated hand,and paralyzed hand,are diseases not on the conventional list of the hand surgery world,but now have gradually become the new direction for hand surgeons.A good example is the advancements in treating amputations after traumatic injury of the upper limb.Targeted muscle reinnervation combined with a highly functional bionic arm can greatly compensate for the missing part of the amputated arm[1],which in general satisfies the need for strength and dexterity in daily life.According to the classic cortical homunculus first drawn by Penfield,the hand area occupied nearly-one-third of the sensorimotor cortex[2].Thus,interventions with the hands enable the modulation of brain function,providing a solution for brain disorders through skillful utilization of brain plasticity.With the recent advancements in neuroscience and biomedical engineering technology,hand surgeons find themselves entering an era with a bigger performance stage than ever before.For paralyzed hand,the most common cause is central neurological diseases such as stroke or cerebral palsy,or paraplegia.Although it is more challenging since surgeons should balance spasticity and motor function at the same time,efforts have been made by hand surgeons around the world,such as hyper selective neurectomy,tendon lengthening or transfer to reduce the spasticity and reconstruct the motor function[3].Considering the fact that the number of patients with paralyzed hands is over 10 million,which far exceeds the traditional nerve injury entity,this area is the potential further direction of hand surgery.In this article,we will discuss the opportunities and pitfalls in the combination of hand surgery techniques and brain-computer-interface(BCI)in treating paralyzed hands from the perspective of hand surgery development.