A procedure that has long been used to regrow leg and arm bones is finding a new use in smaller bones. Doctors are beginning to employ the Ilizarov Method to stretch the stump of partially missing fingers. David Metcalfe was one of the first patients to undergo this new treatment, and he is thrilled with the results. Metcalfe lost the ends of three fingers during an industrial accident.

The procedure involves breaking the injured finger and then extending it with the use of a rigid frame bolted to the knuckle and finger bone. The frame holds the two together while the bone regrows to fill the gap.

The technique can be used to treat patients who have lost fingers or who have congenital deformities of the hand. Initially, doctors hope to perform the procedure on as many as 20 patients per year. Unfortunately, patients who have severed an entire finger will not benefit from the technique, as it is impossible to stretch the remaining skin over the length of an entirely new digit.

The process takes about two months, after which the frame is removed. Metcalfe reports that the device is hardly noticeable and not painful. He is looking forward to undergoing the procedure on his other two injured fingers.