DUE TO ITS SOMEWHAT GRAPHIC NATURE, THE PHOTO ASSOCIATED WITH THIS STORY APPEARS AFTER THE JUMP.

24 year old macrodactyly patient Liu Hua from Jiangsu, the man with the world’s largest hand (Pic after the jump: NOT for the faint-hearted!!), has arrived at the Shanghai No. 9 People’s Hospital for radical plastic surgery. He was born with a left thumb, index and middle finger much larger than normal, which grew dramatically together with his arm as he grew older and this had a serious impact on his work and day-to-day life. From Shanghai Daily:

When Liu was hospitalized in Shanghai last month, his left thumb measured 26 centimeters, his index finger was 30cm and his middle finger 15cm. The overall weight of his left arm was about 10 kilograms.

“It was the biggest hand in the world,” said Chen Zuliang, a hospital official. “Liu’s fingers stopped growing in recent years so plastic surgery was at last possible to correct the malformation.”

On July 20 surgeons began a seven-hour operation to reduce the size of Liu’s fingers and thumb. Doctors removed 5.1kg of flesh and bone in the procedure.

Doctors say Liu will have to come back to the hospital in another six months for surgery to reshape his left arm and shoulder. He is now left with three fingers on his left hand — the thumb, the ring finger and his little finger, but it is hoped that with some training and rehabilitation, life will soon be back to normal for him, and he will no longer have to find ways and means to hide his hand whenever he goes out.

Related links:

Shanghai Daily: City surgeons come in handy

Children’s Hospital Boston: Macrodactyly

CN Radio: 24岁小伙长有畸形巨手 在上海成功缩骨



