Functional Outcomes 18 Months After Total and Midarm Transplantation: A Case Report

Abstract

Background: The function reported after arm transplantation is deemed beneficial relative to the marked disability that upper arm amputation causes.

Objective: We report a 51-year-old man with a Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) score of 75.83 who underwent bilateral arm transplantation in October 2015.

Procedure: The right arm was transplanted at the glenohumeral joint level, including transplantation of the humeral head, joint capsule, and rotator cuff ligaments and tendons. Additionally, neurorrhaphies were performed at the origin of the terminal branches of the brachial plexus, including the axillary and musculocutaneous nerves. Therefore, this was considered a total arm transplantation. The left arm was transplanted at the transhumeral level, with complete transplantation of the biceps and triceps brachii, and terminolateral neurorrhaphy of the donor musculocutaneous nerve to the receptor radial nerve. A maintenance triple immunosuppression scheme was administered, with tacrolimus levels kept at 10 ng/mL.

Results: At 18 months post-transplantation, the intrinsic musculature in the left hand showed electrical registry, DASH score was 67.5, Carroll test score was 28 in both extremities, Hand Transplant Score System was 67.5 in the right extremity and 77.5 in the left extremity, and Short Form-36 score was 96.1. The patient was healthy, with restored body integrity. He could lift medium-sized weightless objects, eat and go to the bathroom by himself, drink liquids with bimanual grasp, swim, dress almost independently, and drive.

Conclusion: The functional evolution of the patient was similar to previously reported transplanted arms, even though the right arm transplant involved the glenohumeral joint and axillary and musculocutaneous nerve repair.