Surgery for Man with Biggest Hand in the World

The man with "the biggest hand in the world" received a seven-hour operation on 20 July 2007 to reduce the size of his fingers and thumb. A second operation was scheduled six months later to reshape his left arm and shoulder.

When Liu was hospitalized in Shanghai, his left thumb measured 26 centimeters, his index finger 30, and his middle finger 15 centimeters. The overall weight of his left arm was about 10 kilograms. Doctors removed 5.1 kilograms of flesh and bone in the procedure.

Liu was suffering from a rare disease called macrodactyly, a birth defect in which toes or fingers are abnormally large. The cause of the disease is unknown but bone and soft tissue grows at an extraordinary rate. Liu's three fingers and arm grew dramatically as he grew older and this had a serious affect on his life and his ability to work.