ASHT Education Division’s March webinar this Wednesday (2/27) will feature an exciting new topic in the world of hand and peripheral nerve surgery. Dr. John Barbour of Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, DC will present up and coming information on motor and sensory reanimation in the upper extremity.
What does this mean?
Dr. Barbour trained at Washington University in St. Louis and spent his fellowship year learning from Dr. Susan MacKinnon, a top nerve surgeon in the country. He learned innovative new techniques to transfer and graft peripheral nerves in various patient populations with severe neuropathy, nerve dysfunction or trauma, that could not repair itself or needed a “jumpstart” to get more proximal nerves communicating to distal nerves to re-establish innervation. He has even begun using these techniques in the spinal cord injury population as well to establish distal function in complete high level cervical spinal cord injuries.
What does this mean to you as a hand therapist?
This is a new and emerging technique in the arena of hand and peripheral nerve surgery, so you will likely see this in the near future! You may also have patients with severe cubital tunnel syndrome (with an intact median nerve) or forearm trauma with both median and ulnar nerves out, and document a prolonged phase with no return of function. The old standard of care was to wait up to a year, or longer, then refer for possible tendon transfers. Nerve reanimation completely changes that game. Dr. Barbour, and the colleagues who have trained with him (now working in all parts of the country) are consulting with these patients at three months and doing surgery within that earlier timeframe to re-establish peripheral nervous connection/innervation to allow quicker return to function, prevent loss of communication to motor end plates, prevent longstanding loss of sensory input and prevent denervation related contractures. This promotes functional hand use, sooner return to sensibility and motor function, a happier patient and less lag/waiting time until therapy can intervene most effectively!
Dr. Barbour will present the reasoning behind the new techniques, including demonstration of how the surgery is performed, and also cover a few case examples to illustrate the success of reanimation and give therapists an idea of which patients might benefit from this new surgical option so they can be identified and referred to a peripheral nerve surgeon in a timely manner.
It is sure to be a fantastic talk on a cutting edge topic that can expand your knowledge of options for many of your patients with peripheral nerve injury, dysfunction or severe compression.
Be sure to join us March 27 at 9 p.m. EST. Register today!
Event Details:
Motor and Sensory Nerve Transfers for Upper Extremity Reanimation
LIVE Session Date: Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Time: 6:00 PM PT / 7:00 PM MT / 8:00 PM CT / 9:00 PM ET
Location: Webinar
Presenter(s): John R. Barbour, MD
Format: 45-50 minutes presentation. 10-15 minutes Q&A
Attendees earn 1 CE hour for each webinar.
