Three Austrian
men have become the first in the world to undergo a new technique called ‘bionic
reconstruction’ enabling them to use a robotic prosthetic hand controlled by
their mind. All three men suffered for many years with brachial plexus injuries
and poor hand function as a result of motor vehicle and climbing accidents. The
new technique was developed by researchers at the Medical University of Vienna,
together with engineers from the Department of Neurorehabilitation Engineering
of the University Medical Center Goettingen. It combines selective nerve and
muscle transfers, elective amputation, and replacement with an advanced robotic
prosthesis using sensors that respond to electrical impulses in the muscles.
Following comprehensive rehabilitation, the technique restored a high level of
function, in all three recipients, aiding in activities of daily living. Brachial
plexus avulsion injuries represent an inner amputation, irreversibly separating
the hand from neural control. Existing surgical techniques for such injuries
are crude and ineffective and result in poor hand function. Researchers were
able to create and extract new neural signals via nerve transfers amplified by
muscle transplantation.
These signals
were then decoded and translated into solid mechatronic hand function. Before
amputation, all three patients spent an average of 9 months undergoing
cognitive training, firstly to activate the muscles, and then to use the
electrical signals to control a virtual hand. Once they had mastered the
virtual environment, they practiced using a hybrid hand -- a prosthetic hand
attached to a splint-like device fixed to their non-functioning hand. Three
months after amputation, robotic prostheses gave all three recipients
substantially better functional movement in their hands, improved quality of
life, and less pain. For the first time since their accidents all three men
were able to accomplish various everyday tasks such as picking up a ball,
pouring water from a jug, using a key, cutting food with a knife, or using two
hands to undo buttons. Brachial plexus injuries occur when the nerves of the
brachial plexus -- the network of nerves that originate in the neck region and
branch off to form the nerves that control movement and sensation in the upper
limbs, including the shoulder, arm, forearm, and hand -- are damaged. Brachial
plexus injuries often occur as a result of trauma from high speed collisions,
especially in motorcycle accidents, and in collision sports.
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