Tissue transplants in primates for upper extremity reconstruction: a preliminary report

Recent advances in clinical transplantation surgery suggest that hand transplantation is no longer an unrealistic expectation. However, two questions must be answered. Can composite tissue transplants survive in a primate species? Does the required neural reinnervation occur under immunosuppression? Four hand transplants and seven neurovascular free flap transplants were done in baboons immunosuppressed with Cyclosporin A and steroids (methylprednisolone). Long-term survival occurred in nine. Electrophysiologic tests of sensory axons revealed reinnervation of transplanted skin as evidenced by well-defined, low threshold receptive fields in the donor tissue. Reinnervation of donor muscle was demonstrated by motor unit recruitment in stepwise fashion after electrical stimulation of the recipient's median and ulnar nerves. Afferent fibers serving the donor's joints and muscle spindles were also observed.