Chinese doctors replace man's missing finger with his toe

Chinese doctors have used a 22-year-old student's toe to create a new finger after he lost his digit as a child. Doctors said it is not easy to tell the difference with the new appendage.

Chinese doctors have used a 22-year-old student's toe to create a new finger after he lost his digit as a child.

Ha Yuan lost his ring finger on his left hand as a child, and said his handicap stopped him from getting well-paid jobs.

Surgeons at Changsha, capital of southern China's Hunan Province, amputated the second toe on his left foot and grafted it onto the affected hand.

Doctors said it is not easy to tell the difference with the new appendage, and medics even believe it could be fully functioning within three months, 'Sina English' reported.

'It's not easy to tell the difference if people are not looking at it closely. The only difference is the size of the nail,' said Doctor Lu, who helped with the pioneering operation.

Lu added that it would take three months for the new 'finger' to resume functions.

'I feel my new life is about to start,' said Ha.