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International Journal of Zoology and Applied Biosciences Research Article
Contemporary approaches to limb transplantation
Sowndarya GS, Saalini Vellivel, Kiran Kumar S, Kaaviya A A and Sujitha K
Year : 2025 | Pages: 489-493
Received on: 25/09/2025
Revised on: 28/10/2025
Accepted on: 23/11/2025
Published on: 01/12/2025
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Sowndarya GS, Saalini Vellivel, Kiran Kumar S, Kaaviya A A and Sujitha K( 2025).
Contemporary approaches to limb transplantation
. International Journal of Zoology and Applied Biosciences, 10( 6), 489-493.
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Abstract
Limb loss due to trauma, disease, or congenital defects remains a major challenge for reconstructive surgery. Vascularized Composite Allotransplantation (VCA) involving transfer of a donor limb as a functional unit has emerged as a viable and transformative solution, enabling restoration of form, function, and sensation. Recent decades have seen substantial advances in microsurgical techniques, immunosuppression protocols, graft preservation (including novel perfusion strategies), and patient selection and rehabilitation frameworks. This paper reviews contemporary surgical and peri operative approaches in limb transplantation, analyzes current challenges (e.g. immunologic rejection, graft preservation, long-term functional outcome, ethical and psychosocial considerations), and discusses emerging alternatives and future directions such as ex vivo perfusion, joint specific VCA, and tissue engineering. By synthesizing current evidence and practices, we aim to outline a comprehensive framework for clinical application and future research in limb transplantation.
Keywords
Limb transplantation, Vascularized composite allograft, Microsurgery, Graft preservation, Ex vivo perfusion.
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© The Author(s) 2025. This article is published by International Journal of Zoology and Applied Biosciences under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (creativecommons.org), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
