The man with the largest hand in the world will be looking
forward to a normal life after undergoing radical plastic surgery
at Shanghai No. 9 People's Hospital.
Liu Hua, a 24-year-old Jiangsu Province native, was born with a left
thumb, index and middle finger much larger than normal.
Liu Hua shows his abnormal
hand.
The cause of the birth defect is unknown apart from the fact
that his bone and soft tissue grows at an extraordinary rate.
Liu's three fingers and arm grew dramatically big as he grew
older and this had a serious affect on his life and his ability to
work.
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.
"This was the first stage. The patient will regain the use of
most of his left hand after rehabilitation," Chen said. "A second
operation is scheduled in six months to reshape his left arm and
shoulder."
(Shanghai Daily August 22, 2007)
