Long-Term Outcome After Hand and Forearm Transplantation: A Retrospective Study

    November 2020 in “ Transplant international ”
    Theresa Hautz, Franka Messner, Annemarie Weißenbacher, Hubert Hackl, Martin Kumnig, Marina Ninković, Valeria Berchtold, Johanna Krapf, Bettina Zelger, Bernhard Zelger, Dolores Wolfram, Gerhard Pierer, Wolfgang N. Löscher, Robert Zimmermann, Markus Gabl, Rohit Arora, Gerald Brandacher, Raimund Margreiter, Dietmar Öfner, Stefan Schneeberger
    TLDR Hand and forearm transplants can be successful long-term, but they come with challenges like rejection and side effects from immunosuppression.
    The study on long-term outcomes after hand and forearm transplantation involved 5 male patients with follow-ups ranging from 6 to 20 years. It found that while patients generally experienced significant improvements in functionality and quality of life, they also faced challenges such as chronic rejection and the need for lifelong immunosuppression. There were 43 recorded rejection episodes, with 27.9% being antibody-related, which negatively impacted patients' well-being and quality of life. One patient experienced severe allograft vasculopathy leading to amputation and later died from gastric cancer. The other four patients remained rejection-free with moderate immunosuppression. The study highlighted the importance of stable immunologic conditions, tailored immunosuppression, and careful patient selection for successful outcomes in hand transplantation.
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