YANGON: A surgical team at the Yangon Orthopaedic Specialist Hospital has successfully performed a complex operation to replace a severed left thumb with the patient’s right big toe, according to reports.
The procedure was carried out on March 4 by a hand surgery team led by Professor Dr. Kyaw Thu Htun at the Hand Surgery Department of the 300-bed Yangon Orthopaedic Specialist Hospital in Kyimyindaing Township under the Ministry of Health’s Department of Medical Services.
The patient, Thant Zin Oo, 33, from Kan Gyi Village in Myan Aung Township, Ayeyarwady Region, suffered a severe injury to his left thumb when it was caught in a wire while repairing a harvesting machine.
He initially received emergency treatment at Myan Aung Public Hospital on February 19, 2026. The following day, he was transferred to Yangon General Hospital and later referred to the Hand Surgery Department of the Yangon Orthopaedic Specialist Hospital, where he was admitted as an inpatient for further treatment.
After that, a toe-to-thumb transfer surgery was performed to replace the amputated left thumb with the right big toe. The operation was carried out by a surgical team led by Professor Dr. Kyaw Thu Htun (Hand Surgery) at the Yangon Orthopaedic Specialist Hospital.
The surgery took place from 9:00 am. to 4:30 pm. on March 4. By the eighth day after the operation, on March 12, the transplanted finger was reported to be surviving well and able to move properly.
It is also learned that the first successful surgery replacing an amputated thumb with a toe was performed in 2019 at the Insein General Hospital in Yangon Region.
The latest operation conducted on March 4, 2026, marks the second successful procedure of this kind. - Eleven Media/ANN
