Why Choose Us
Tragic accidents or congenital deformities at one time may have meant disfigurement, pain, and possibly a life of being unable to tie ones shoelaces, climb a ladder or walk down a street without unwanted glances. The chances of living a full and normal life have been dramatically altered. Today, through the work of our physicians and researchers at the Buncke Clinic and Buncke Microsurgical Research Laboratory, the effects of these life-altering setbacks are being reversed.
The blood vessels and nerves that supply fingers and small body parts like ears, scalps and noses are so small that a microscope is necessary to help place the sutures in the walls of the blood vessels and coverings of the nerves so that blood flow and nerve transmission could be established.
Two early milestones in the history of Microsurgery were the successful replantation of amputated digits and transplantation of the great toe to the hand, for thumb reconstruction. Dr. Harry Buncke pioneered these advances, developed the techniques and created the instruments to make such replantations possible. He and his wife performed the first great toe-to-thumb transplant in 1964. These early achievements revolutionized the management of hand trauma throughout the world.
Today, hundreds of toe-to-thumb surgeries have been performed at California Pacific Medical Center, and the surgery that Dr. Buncke pioneered has become a routine procedure around the world.
