Hand surgery

Our hand serves many purposes. It is a tool for everyday activities, work, hobby or sport. It is often a mediator of our feelings with gestures, or in case of a creative artist, an interpreter of the impressions. Due to its complex function and difficult anatomy, a separate field of medicine is specialized on the injuries of the hand, and their treatment.

Hand surgery deals with the surgical and non-surgical treatment of conditions that take place on the hand and the upper extremity.

Hand surgeons treat the injuries and degenerative lesions of the hand, mostly surgically, to restore and retain the sensory functions and fine motor skills. Furthermore, developmental anomalies, inflamed and tumor lesions also belong to the attendance of hand surgery.

The functioning of the hand is a result of a complex interaction of almost 200 structures, including tendons, muscles, joints, nerves. Therefore, the restoration of the anatomical structures of the hand needs special knowledge and precise techniques, why hand surgery transformed into a distinct discipline.

The successful treatment of a hand lesion depends on the knowledge of the surgeon. It requires detailed knowledge of the hand’s anatomy and functional anatomy, and trustworthy knowledge of hand surgery principals too.

Due to its complex functioning, hand injuries are very common, take ¼ part of all injuries on the body. Most of these injuries are caused by the catching function of the hand or brought about a defending mechanism when we try to protect reflexively our head or body.

Hand injuries are usually more serious than it follows from the injury itself. Several delicate structures could damage at the same time, which need professional care, otherwise, concrescences and scars could cause serious function loss of the limb.

Our hand surgeons perform a wide variety of operations to treat hand injuries, such as fracture repairs, releases, transfer and repairs of tendons and reconstruction of injuries, rheumatoid deformities, and congenital defects. They also perform microsurgical reconstruction of soft tissues and bone, nerve reconstruction, and surgery to improve function.

Ganglion cyst removal

Ganglion cysts are bening lumps, most commonly developed along the tendons or joints of the wrists and hands. Typically round or oval lesions, filled with jellylike fluid. If the cyst causing pain or interfering with joint movement, the surgical removal is recommended.

Bening tumor excision

Any abnormal bump in the hand or wrist is considered as a tumor, which are mostly benign tumors. They can occur on the skin, such as a wart or mole, or underneath the skin, in soft tissues. As there are many types of tissues in the hand (e.g. fat, ligaments, tendons, blood vessels, nerves etc.) there are many types of tumors that can occur. The excision of the tumor is performed as an ambulatory surgery, under local or regional anesthesia.

Trigger finger tendon sheath incision

Trigger finger is a condition when one of the fingers get stuck in a bent position, and it can straighten with a snap. It occurs, if inflammation narrows the tendon sheath around the tendon that moves the affected finger, so the tendon cannot glide easily through. The goal of the surgery is to open the inflamed sheath so the tendon can glide freely.  The incision of the sheath is performed as an ambulatory surgery, under local anesthesia.

De Quervain’s tenosynovitis incision

De Quervain’s tenosynovitis is a condition, which affects the tendons on the thumb side of the wrist. It is caused by the narrowing of the tunnels, where the tendons run, or the tendons take extra space in the tunnel. This can occur due to the thickening of the soft tissues of the tunnel, or an increase in the number of soft tissues within the tunnel. Hand and thumb motion becomes painful, especially with forceful grasping or twisting.  The incision of the tunnel is performed as an ambulatory surgery, under local anesthesia.

Carpal tunnel syndrome, nerve release

Carpal tunnel syndrome is a condition, where a pinched nerve causes the complaints. There is a small space in the wrist called the carpal tunnel where the median nerve and nine tendons pass from the forearm into the hand. Carpal tunnel syndrome happens when swelling in this tunnel puts pressure on the nerve, causing numbness, tingling, and weakness in the hand. The nerve release with the incision of the tunnel is performed as an ambulatory surgery, under local anesthesia.

Dupuytren’s contracture, percutaneous release

Dupuytren contracture is a hand deformity that develops over years. The affected fingers can’t be straightened completely. It is caused by an abnormal thickening of tissues beneath the skin of the palm. Firm pits, bumps and thick lines can develop and cause the fingers to bend into the palm. The percutaneous release is performed under local anesthesia, by the cutting of the thickened tissues.

Elbow cubital tunnel syndrome, nerve release

Cubital tunnel syndrome is a condition that causes numbness or tingling in the ring and small fingers, pain in the forearm and weakness in the hand. The cause of the symptoms is the pressure or the stretching of the ulnar nerve, which runs on the inner side of the elbow. The nerve can be released with an ambulatory surgery, under local anesthesia.

Tennis elbow debridement, decompression

Tennis elbow is a painful condition, when the lateral tendons of the elbow are inflamed by overload, usually by repetitive motions of the wrist and arm. It can be treated conservatively, but if it is not effective, an ambulatory surgery could be the solution, where the painful, inflamed area is released and the devitalized tissues are removed. The intervention is performed under general or regional anesthesia.