(OC Register)
Surgeon who turns toes into fingers joins UCI
July 23rd, 2008, 12:00 am · posted by Gary Robbins, science writer-editor
An award-winning microsurgeon who helped pioneer the process of turning patient’s toes into thumbs and fingers so they could overcome injury or deformity is joining UC Irvine as director of the university’s new Center for Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery.
Neil Jones was recruited from UCLA, where he created a similar center that became known worldwide for reconstructive microsurgery that’s done on hands, elbows, shoulders and wrists.
The 59-year-old Jones is one of the few surgeons in the world who has performed several hundred “toe-to-hand” transfers, and is regarded in the medical community as something of a wizard in treating very small children.
“Their blood vessels and nerves are so tiny you must wait until the child is large enough for you to join the vessels and use sutures,” says the Oxford-educated Jones, who has been listed in the Best Doctors in America database since 1992. The sutures are thinner than a human hair.
This photograph shows the hand of a 2-year-old boy who originally was missing four fingers and a thumb. Jones took two “second toes” — the ones next to the great toe — and constructed a thumb and a finger on the child’s hand so that he could “pinch and grasp.” (Click image to enlarge.)
“When you look at the patient’s foot you can’t tell there is anything abnormal other than the scar,” says Jones, whose operations take eight to 12 hours. Typically, the nerves grow back and the patient has very good sensation in his or her hand.
Jones also performs toe-to-hand transfers on adults. His patients have included everyone from a girl who went on to become a top gymnast to a young boy who is gaining a sense of normalcy after Jones transferred a toe to the child’s hand to serve as a finger.
“His mother said he was able to ride his tricycle and feed himself,” Jones says. “It’s hard to describe the feeling you get from that.”
Jones also treats other type of hand injuries and disorders, and his patients have included many celebrities, including actor Brad Pitt. He will work out of UCI Medical Center in Orange and is expected to expand his practice to Children’s Hospital of Orange County.
July 23rd, 2008, 12:00 am · posted by Gary Robbins, science writer-editor
An award-winning microsurgeon who helped pioneer the process of turning patient’s toes into thumbs and fingers so they could overcome injury or deformity is joining UC Irvine as director of the university’s new Center for Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery.
Neil Jones was recruited from UCLA, where he created a similar center that became known worldwide for reconstructive microsurgery that’s done on hands, elbows, shoulders and wrists.
The 59-year-old Jones is one of the few surgeons in the world who has performed several hundred “toe-to-hand” transfers, and is regarded in the medical community as something of a wizard in treating very small children.
“Their blood vessels and nerves are so tiny you must wait until the child is large enough for you to join the vessels and use sutures,” says the Oxford-educated Jones, who has been listed in the Best Doctors in America database since 1992. The sutures are thinner than a human hair.
This photograph shows the hand of a 2-year-old boy who originally was missing four fingers and a thumb. Jones took two “second toes” — the ones next to the great toe — and constructed a thumb and a finger on the child’s hand so that he could “pinch and grasp.” (Click image to enlarge.)
“When you look at the patient’s foot you can’t tell there is anything abnormal other than the scar,” says Jones, whose operations take eight to 12 hours. Typically, the nerves grow back and the patient has very good sensation in his or her hand.
Jones also performs toe-to-hand transfers on adults. His patients have included everyone from a girl who went on to become a top gymnast to a young boy who is gaining a sense of normalcy after Jones transferred a toe to the child’s hand to serve as a finger.
“His mother said he was able to ride his tricycle and feed himself,” Jones says. “It’s hard to describe the feeling you get from that.”
Jones also treats other type of hand injuries and disorders, and his patients have included many celebrities, including actor Brad Pitt. He will work out of UCI Medical Center in Orange and is expected to expand his practice to Children’s Hospital of Orange County.
Here's the wonderful magician! He was SO funny and the kids loved him. He was making them laugh and drawing all of them out so well. There were so many very, very sick kids. You really wouldn't believe it. Each one of us should thank God for our children's health. One teenage boy sitting behind us kept smiling at Jordan and she was just batting her eyelashes at him. We saw him later in the hall and he said with such a sweet smile, "Hi Jordan!" Oh my heart breaks for these kids. Honestly these are the sickest kids who many of which spend a great deal of their childhoods living in the hospital. Their parents have to work and take care of siblings so much of their time is spent alone or with nurses. It's really heartbreaking and so hard to leave them there. I also saw a little girl who just had her palate repaired and had previously had her cleft lip repaired. The fresh air, the play, the time laughing around other kids and the magician really helped Jordan turn a corner. It's amazing - she was almost back to her old self after the Halloween outing. I think some day I want to volunteer or work as a Child Life Specialist. What a job that would be.
There wasn't anything they could do for Jordan at the hospital that we couldn't do at home so we got to come home. Jordan is still VERY clingy to Mama but is really getting back to herself more and more. Here's a picture of her being silly. The real challenge is making her sit. She isn't allowed to put any weight on her leg/foot yet all she wants to do is walk around. She is too heavy with the cast on and it's too awkward for me to carry around so we were planning on using a stroller. The therapist told us today that the stroller won't work for a while because she needs to keep her leg elevated so she ordered a pediatric wheelchair for Jordan. It will be covered by our insurance and should really help. She tried to teach Jordan to use a walker to hop on her good leg but the cast is too long so she isn't able to do it. The Physical Therapist is concernced that Jordan's progress with walking will not be worth much if she doesn't walk for six weeks. There isn't much that can be done about it though. The wheelchair should be delivered tomorrow and I can't wait so she can get around and we can get out of this house.
I was and am more than exhuasted tonight but thankfully Shan rallied and convinced us to take the kids around the block trick or treating. I was so resistant but now I'm glad we went. My mom liked being a part of it and the kids had a good time. Noah wore the knight costume again and Jordan was his princess.
She was on her pain medication so she was perfectly content sitting in the stroller eating her way around the block as people gave her candy. You can see in this picture how her foot needs to be elevated. It isn't all that comfortable being scrunched down like that especially once she's off the meds. :) We'll hold on to the stroller incase the wheelchair doesn't get delivered and then to use once we return the chair.
