Special Issue

Topic: Congenital Hand: Thumb Anomalies

A Special Issue of Plastic and Aesthetic Research

ISSN 2349-6150 (Online) 2347-9264 (Print)

Submission deadline: 31 Oct 2022

Guest Editor(s)

Dr. William C. Pederson

Division of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX, USA.

Special Issue Introduction

The thumb is the essence of the human hand, and the opposable thumb is what separates primates from other animals. The human thumb, however, is much longer than any other primate and can reach the other fingers with ease, which is not the case in apes and monkeys. It has been noted that even early humans had increased thumb dexterity, which is thought to have contributed to our advances in terms of making and using tools. The human thumb suffers from a number of congenital differences, however. These can range from a variety of deficits that are detrimental to function down to complete absence. Differences that are detrimental to thumb function without absence include trigger thumb, clasped thumb, and hypoplastic thumb. There are some disorders, such as triphalangeal thumb, which may, in fact, offer improved function in some instances. Likewise, duplication of the thumb in humans is not terribly uncommon. This special edition of the Journal will deal with the management of the common congenital issues seen in the human thumb and offer alternatives for the management of these problems with the ultimate goal of restoring normal or near normal function of the thumb.