Episode 5: Hand Edition — Vol. 1, Issue 1

Today's hand edition covers six key studies spanning nerve reconstruction, wrist ligament repair, pain management, arthritis treatment, fracture fixation, and healthcare efficiency. We examine facial nerve reconstruction principles from transplantation surgery, long-term outcomes of the RASL procedure for scapholunate tears, innovative auriculotherapy for reducing opioid use after carpal tunnel release, comparative effectiveness of tenodeses versus arthrodeses for midcarpal arthritis, current evidence on scaphoid fracture fixation techniques, and how preoperative clinics can dramatically reduce surgery cancellations.

1. "Rewiring faces: advances and outcomes in facial nerve reconstruction after facial vascularized composite allotransplantation." — Knoedler L et al., Front Surg — https://doi.org/10.3389/fsurg.2026.1738957
2. "Patient Outcomes Following Reduction and Association of the Scaphoid and Lunate: A Retrospective Cohort Study." — Mack ZE et al., J Wrist Surg — https://doi.org/10.1055/a-2537-2648
3. "Cryogenic auriculotherapy reduces pain and opioid use in patients undergoing endoscopic carpal tunnel release surgery: a retrospective analysis." — Chaix-Couturier C et al., Front Pain Res (Lausanne) — https://doi.org/10.3389/fpain.2026.1722394
4. "Midcarpal tenodeses versus partial arthrodeses for stage II SLAC/SNAC wrists: Long-term outcomes from a single-surgeon comparative series." — Maris S et al., SICOT J — https://doi.org/10.1051/sicotj/2025069
5. "Fixation Techniques for Scaphoid Fractures: A Narrative Review." — Kiwan E et al., Orthop Rev (Pavia) — https://doi.org/10.52965/001c.157898
6. "The Effectiveness of a Preoperative Check-and-Consent Clinic in Reducing Day-of-Surgery Cancellations in Elective Hand Surgery: A Retrospective Service Evaluation." — Abu-Seido Y et al., Cureus — https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.101931