A 51-year-old man has become the first person in the UK to have a hand transplant.
Doctors at Leeds General Infirmary (LGI) said Mark Cahill underwent the complex, eight hour-long procedure on December 27 when a donor hand became available.
The 51-year-old, a former publican, was left with a functionless right hand as a result of gout and a subsequent infection. For five years it had been totally rigid.
This procedure allowed very accurate restoration of nerve structures and is believed to be the first time this approach has been used, surgeons said.
Speaking last night, Mr Cahill said: “The operation has changed my life"
