STM Article Repository

As reconstructive transplantation is gaining popularity as a viable alternative for upper limb amputees,
it is becoming increasingly important for plastic surgeons to renew surgical skills and knowledge of
this area. Forelimb allotransplantation research has been performed previously in rodent and swine
models. However, preclinical canine forelimb allotransplantation studies are lacking in the literature.
The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the surgical skills necessary to successfully
perform forelimb transplantation in canines as ameans to prepare for clinical application. A total of 18
transplantation operations on canines were performed. The recipient limb was shortened at the onethird
proximal forearm level. The operation was performed in the following order: bones (two
reconstructive plates), muscles and tendons (separately sutured), nerves (median, ulnar, and radial
nerve), arteries (two), and veins (two). The total mean time of transplantation was 5 hours ± 30
minutes. All of the animals that received transplantation were treated with FK-506 (tacrolimus, 2
mg/kg) for 7 days after surgery. Most allografts survived with perfect viability without vascular
problems during the early postoperative period. The canine forelimb allotransplantation model is well
qualified to be a suitable training model for standard transplantation and future research work.