Types of amputation

thumb|A white-headed dwarf gecko with tail lost due to autotomy Autotomy ('self-amputation', from the Ancient Greek auto-, "self-" and tome, "severing") is the behaviour whereby an animal sheds or discards an appendage, usually as a self-preservation mechanism to elude a predator's grasp or to distract the predator and thereby allow escape. Some animals are able to regenerate the lost body part later. Autotomy is thought to have evolved independently at least nine times. The term was coined in 1883 by Léon Fredericq.

Hemicorporectomy is a radical surgery in which the body below the waist is amputated, transecting the lumbar spine. This removes the legs, the genitalia (internal and external), urinary system, pelvic bones, anus, and rectum. It is a major procedure recommended only as a last resort for people with severe and potentially fatal illnesses such as osteomyelitis, tumors, severe traumas and intractable decubiti in, or around, the pelvis. By 2019, 66 cases had been reported in medical literature.

thumb Rotationplasty, commonly known as a Van Nes rotation or Borggreve rotation, is a type of autograft wherein a portion of a limb is removed, while the remaining limb below the involved portion is rotated and reattached. This procedure is used when a portion of an extremity is injured, or affected by a disease such as cancer.

surgical procedure to transplant a hand from one human to another

Human disease

medical technique for surgery

thumb|Man without nose and hands, 1910 Rhinotomy is mutilation, usually amputation, of the nose. It was a means of judicial punishment throughout the world, particularly for sexual transgressions, but in the case of adultery often applied only to women.

Hemipelvectomy, also known as a pelvic resection, is a surgical procedure that involves the removal of part of the pelvic girdle. This procedure is most commonly performed to treat oncologic conditions of the pelvis. Hemipelvectomy can be further classified as internal and external hemipelvectomy. An internal hemipelvectomy is a limb-sparing procedure where the innominate bone is resected while preserving the ipsilateral limb. An external hemipelvectomy involves the resection of the innominate bone plus amputation of the ipsilateral limb.

removal of a live crab's claws

human disease

Autoamputation is the spontaneous detachment (amputation) of an appendage or organ from the body. This is not to be confused with self-amputation, which is performed at will. It is usually due to destruction of the blood vessels feeding an extremity such as the finger tips. Once the vessels are destroyed, the tissue is starved of oxygen and dies, which is often followed by gangrene.