Shaun D. Mendenhall, MD

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Shaun D. Mendenhall, MD, is an attending surgeon with the Division of Plastic, Reconstructive and Oral Surgery at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

Areas of Expertise: Congenital pediatric hand disorders, Hand surgery, Pediatric hand trauma, Pediatric plastic and reconstructive surgery, Plastic surgery
Locations: Buerger Center for Advanced Pediatric Care; Specialty Care & Surgery Center, Bucks County; Specialty Care, Princeton at Plainsboro

Book appointment Plastics: 215-590-2208, Orthopaedics: 215-590-1527

Background

Shaun D. Mendenhall, MD, is an attending hand and plastic surgeon with the Division of Plastic, Reconstructive and Oral Surgery and the Division of Orthopaedic Surgery at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) who specializes in all aspects of reconstructive hand and upper-extremity surgery. He is part of CHOP’s hand and arm disorders team, the Penn Hand Transplantation team, and the Shriners Children’s Philadelphia hand surgery team, where he works together with leading experts to help children with complex upper-extremity conditions due to congenital differences, injuries, tumors, limb loss or paralysis.

After graduating with honors in surgery from medical school at the University of Utah, Dr. Mendenhall completed his plastic and reconstructive surgery residency at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine. Following his passion for hand surgery, he then completed a fellowship in orthopaedic hand and microvascular surgery at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine. As a hand surgery fellow, Dr. Mendenhall spent dedicated time at CHOP and Shriners Children’s, where he fell in love with pediatric hand surgery. His training from world-renowned hand surgeons at these institutions has enabled him to tackle the most complex pediatric hand surgery conditions at CHOP.

Dr. Mendenhall has special expertise in microvascular reconstruction of the extremities (both upper and lower) after major injuries or tumors, which involves transferring tissue from one part of the body to another via microsurgery. He also has expertise in peripheral nerve conditions, including nerve injuries, nerve lacerations, brachial plexus birth palsy and viral-induced paralysis due to acute flaccid myelitis.

Dr. Mendenhall is passionate about helping children who suffer from neuromuscular conditions that cause severe muscle tightness (spasticity) in their upper extremities such as cerebral palsy, pediatric stroke, traumatic brain injuries and spinal cord injuries. He is one of only a few surgeons in the world who uses nerve surgeries (selective neurectomy) combined with tendon and muscle procedures to address spasticity and maximize function of the tight arm, hand and fingers.

Whether it is a child born without a limb or a person who has lost a finger, hand or leg due to trauma or cancer, Dr. Mendenhall also offers surgical treatments such as revisions and targeted muscle reinnervation that can make fitting a prosthesis easier, less painful and more functional. He has a special interest in helping older children with loss of fingers, thumb or part of the hand get fitted with partial hand prostheses and is actively engaged in studying outcomes of this unique treatment for partial hand and digit loss.

In 2018, Dr. Mendenhall received the F. William Bora Jr., MD, Excellence in Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery Award, named for a pioneering hand surgeon at the University of Pennsylvania. This award is given annually to a resident or fellow with significant contributions to the hand surgery literature. In 2019, he was nationally recognized by the American Society for Surgery of the Hand for his many contributions to hand surgery and was selected as a “Young Leader.” He has also consistently received “teacher of the year” awards, among other recognitions, for his passion in teaching surgery to the next generation.

Dr. Mendenhall’s research interests include hand transplantation, improving surgical techniques and outcomes, and the use of technology in surgical training. He is interested in innovative solutions for common hand problems, such as how to improve hand tendon repair using a stapler device instead of sewing each individual tendon. He was head of the team whose study about this device received the Joseph H. Boyes Award for best paper at the 2021 residents and fellows conference of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand. He also studies a procedure, called targeted muscle reinnervation, which reroutes nerves in children who have lost limbs in order to improve prosthesis function and reduce neuroma and phantom limb pain.

Outside of his practice, Dr. Mendenhall enjoys spending time with his wife and three children. They are avid Phillies fans. He also plays drums and has been a member of multiple rock bands. Outdoor activities including hiking, skiing, snowboarding, and sailing are some of his favorite hobbies.

Dr. Mendenhall has expertise with the following conditions and procedures:

  • Amniotic band syndrome
  • Amputation revision (upper and lower extremity)
  • Apert’s hand (complex syndactyly)
  • Benign skin lesions of extremities
  • Bone nonunion repair
  • Bone reconstruction including vascularized bone transfer
  • Brachial plexus injuries and birth palsy
  • Burns or burn scars of hand and extremities
  • Cerebral palsy (hand and upper extremity)
  • Compression neuropathy (carpal tunnel, cubital tunnel, and Guyon’s canal syndrome)
  • De Quervain’s tenosynovitis
  • Distal radius fractures
  • Exposed hardware of upper and lower extremities
  • Finger fractures
  • Free flap reconstruction of extremities
  • Functional muscle transfer
  • Ganglion of wrist and hand
  • Hand and finger fractures
  • Hand infections
  • Hand trauma
  • Hand tumors/masses/ganglions
  • Hypoplasia of thumb or hand
  • Limb salvage (upper and lower extremity)
  • Lipomas
  • Lower-extremity reconstruction (trauma/cancer)
  • Nail-bed injury or deformity (hand)
  • Nerve injury/reconstruction (upper and lower extremities)
  • Nerve transfers
  • Neuroma
  • Peripheral nerve surgery
  • Pollicization (index to thumb transfer)
  • Polydactyly, polysyndactyly of fingers and toes
  • Radial club hand
  • Raynaud’s phenomenon
  • Pediatric rheumatoid arthritis
  • Scaphoid non-union repair
  • Scar revision of hand
  • Skin cancer of extremities (including melanoma)
  • Spasticity conditions of upper extremity (cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury, stroke, tetraplegia)
  • Symbrachydactyly
  • Syndactyly (fingers and toes)
  • Targeted muscle reinnervation
  • Tendon transfer/Injury
  • Tetraplegic hand surgery
  • TFCC tears
  • Thoracic outlet syndrome
  • Thumb hypoplasia
  • Trigger thumb or finger
  • Wounds of extremities
  • Wrist arthroscopy
  • Wrist fractures
  • Wrist pain

Education and Training

Medical School

MD - University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT

Residency

Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery - Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Springfield, IL

Fellowship

Orthopaedic Hand & Microvascular Surgery - University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA

Board Certification

Plastic Surgery – American Board of Plastic Surgery
Surgery of the Hand – American Board of Plastic Surgery

Titles and Academic Titles

Attending Surgeon

Departments and Services

Publications

Papers

2023

Hendrycks, Russell J. MD; Reed, Evelyn R. MD; Graham, Emily M. MD; Patel, Niki K. MD, MSc; Rosales, Megan MS, MStat; Mendenhall, Shaun D. MD. Learning Curve of Wrist-level Tendon Repairs Using a Novel Tendon Stapler versus Traditional Suture Methods. Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery-Global Open 11(8):p e5167, August 2023. | DOI: 10.1097/GOX.0000000000005167.

Patel, Niki K. MD, MSc; Toyoda, Yoshiko MD; Grunzweig, Katherine A. MD; Shah, Apurva S. MD, MBA; Mendenhall, Shaun D. MD. Recent Advancements in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Congenital Hand Differences. Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons 31(15):p 766-782, August 1, 2023. | DOI: 10.5435/JAAOS-D-23-00302.

Reed, E. R., Wright, T. J., Tattini, M. E., & Mendenhall, S. D. (2023). 11 Reconstruction of the Hand and Nail Unit after Mohs Surgery. Procedural Dermatology Volume I: Reconstruction: Postresidency and Fellowship Compendium, 146.

Emily M. Graham, Anchith Kota, Michelle K. Intintoli, Alta Fried, Ajul Shah, Shaun D. Mendenhall. From iron hooks to moving hands: The evolution of partial hand prostheses—a surgical perspective, Orthoplastic Surgery, Volume 12, 2023, Pages 29-43. ISSN 2666-769X.

Graham EM, Oliver JD, Hendrycks R, Maglic D, Mendenhall SD. Alternative Tendon Coaptations to the Pulvertaft Weave Technique: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Biomechanical Studies. HAND. 2023;18(3):446-455. doi:10.1177/15589447211043213.

Patel NK, Tipps JA, Bartlett SP, Kovach SJ 3rd, Levin LS, Mendenhall SD. Expanding Indications of the Medial Femoral Condyle Free Flap: Systematic Review in Head and Neck Reconstruction. Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open. 2023 Apr 5;11(4):e4925. doi: 10.1097/GOX.0000000000004925. PMID: 37035122; PMCID: PMC10079347.

Mendenhall, Shaun D. MD; Graham, Emily M. BSN; Memmott, Stanley BS; Frederiksen, Hunter BS; Rioux-Forker, Dana MD; Wang, Angela A. MD; Hutchinson, Douglas T. MD. A New Source of Mutilating Hand Injuries: The Side-by-Side Utility-Terrain Vehicle. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery ():10.1097/PRS.0000000000010453, March 22, 2023. | DOI: 10.1097/PRS.0000000000010453.

Bauder, Andrew R. MD; Graham, Emily M. BSN; Shubinets, Valeriy MD; Mendenhall, Shaun D. MD; Carrigan, Robert B. MD; Lin, Ines C. MD, MSEd; Shah, Apurva MD, MBA; Chang, Benjamin MD. Does Irreducibility Always Mean A Complex Dislocation? An Analysis of 33 Pediatric Metacarpophalangeal Joint Dislocations. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery ():10.1097/PRS.0000000000010455, March 22, 2023. | DOI: 10.1097/PRS.0000000000010455.

Xu, Wen MD, MS; Graham, Emily M. BSN; Shubinets, Valeriy MD; Mendenhall, Shaun D. MD; Chang, Benjamin MD; Lin, Ines C. MD. An Evolution of the Surgical Management of Synpolydactyly: A Case Series of 21 Hands. Annals of Plastic Surgery 90(6S):p S583-S592, June 2023. | DOI: 10.1097/SAP.0000000000003513.

2022

Mendenhall, Shaun D. MD; Moss, Whitney D. BS; Graham, Emily M. BSN; Carter, Gentry BS; Agarwal, Jayant P. MD. The BREASTrial Stage III: Acellular Dermal Matrix Breast Reconstruction Outcomes from 3 Months to 2 Years Postoperatively. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery 151(1):p 17-24, January 2023. | DOI: 10.1097/PRS.0000000000009768.

Patel NK, Tipps JA, Graham EM, Taylor JA, Mendenhall SD. Reconstruction of a Near-total Scalp Avulsion with NovoSorb Biodegradable Temporizing Matrix: Pediatric Case Report. Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open. 2022 Dec 13;10(12):e4717. doi: 10.1097/GOX.0000000000004717. PMID: 36583166; PMCID: PMC9750680.

Ormiston L, Mendenhall SD, Hamrick F, Mahan M. Targeted Muscle Reinnervation in the Foot: An Anatomical Study. Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open. 2022 Nov 30;10(11 Suppl):5. doi: 10.1097/01.GOX.0000905104.59894.1e. PMCID: PMC9708159.

Graham, Emily M. B.S.N.; Oliver, Jeremie M.S., M.B.A.; Hendrycks, Russell B.S.; Mendenhall, Shaun D. M.D. Optimizing the Pulvertaft Weave Technique: A Comprehensive Systematic Review of Comparative Biomechanical Studies. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery 150(2):p 357-365, August 2022. | DOI: 10.1097/PRS.0000000000009321.

Graham EM, Arbon J, Baschuk CM, Duncan A, Mendenhall SD. Making the Best of a Bad Situation: Case Report of a Nonreplantable Four-finger Amputation with Flap Coverage and Partial Hand Prosthesis Utilization. Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open. 2022 Apr 13;10(4):e4253. doi: 10.1097/GOX.0000000000004253. PMID: 35433159; PMCID: PMC9007195.

Mendenhall, Shaun D. M.D.; Graham, Emily M. B.S.N.; Anderson, Layla A. B.A.; Ying, Jian Ph.D.; Liu, Ting M.D.; Agarwal, Jayant P. M.D. Impact of Chemotherapy and Radiation Therapy on Inflammatory Response, Neovascularization, and Capsule Formation of Acellular Dermal Matrix in Breast Reconstruction: Analysis of the BREASTrial Biopsy Specimens. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery 149(3):p 378e-385e, March 2022. | DOI: 10.1097/PRS.0000000000008824.

Emily M. Graham, Jared Hilton, Sarah Anderson, Shaun D. Mendenhall. Free fibula flap thumb salvage after a gunshot wound: Case report emphasizing the orthoplastic approach. Orthoplastic Surgery. Volume 7, 2022, Pages 19-24. ISSN 2666-769X.

Graham EM, Baschuk CM, Atkins DJ, Hutchinson L, Duncan CC, Mendenhall SD. Hand Surgeons’ Understanding of Partial Hand Prostheses: Results of a National Survey Study. HAND. 2022;0(0). doi:10.1177/15589447211068185.

Oded Ben Amotz, Shaun D. Mendenhall, Jason Wink, L. Scott Levin. 58 - Wrist Pathology.

Editor(s): Rostam D. Farhadieh, Neil W. Bulstrode, Babak J. Mehrara, Sabrina Cugno, Plastic Surgery - Principles and Practice. Elsevier, 2022, Pages 906-918. ISBN 9780323653817.

2021

Mendenhall SD, Lutfy J, Graham E, Overschmidt B, Levin LS, Neumeister MW (2021). Technique for Rapid Hand Transplant Donor Procurement Through the Elbow. Hand (N Y), 16(3), 391-396.

Pannucci CJ, Fleming KI, Bertolaccini C, Agarwal J, Rockwell WB, Mendenhall SD, Kwok A, Goodwin I, Gociman B, Momeni A (2021). Optimal Dosing of Prophylactic Enoxaparin after Surgical Procedures: Results of the Double-Blind, Randomized, Controlled FIxed or Variable Enoxaparin (FIVE) Trial. Plast Reconstr Surg, 147(4), 947-958.

Graham EM, Hendrycks R, Baschuk CM, Atkins DJ, Keizer L, Duncan CC, Mendenhall SD (2021). Restoring Form and Function to the Partial Hand Amputee: Prosthetic Options from the Fingertip to the Palm. Hand Clin, 37(1), 167-187.

2020

Gandhi RA, Mendenhall SD, Severance G, Levy TJ, Ben-Amotz O, Levin LS (2020). Measuring Functional Outcomes After Bilateral Vascularized Composite Hand Allotransplantation: A Report of 3 Cases. J Hand Surg [Am], 45(12), 1123-1133.

 

Books

Chapters

2021

Amotz OB, Mendenhall SD, Wink J, Levin LS (2021). Wrist Pathology. In Farhadieh, R (Eds.), Plastic Surgery Principles and Practice (2nd). Elsevier.

Kruger EA, Ben-Amotz O, Mendenhall SD, Kovach SJ, Levin LS (2021). Microsurgical Reconstruction for the Mangled Limb. In Pensy RA, Ingari JV (Eds.), The Mangled Extremity: Evaluation and Management (1st). Springer.

2020

Mendenhall SD, Zelenski NA, Ben-Amotz O, Kovach SJ, Levin LS (2020). Orthopaedic Evaluation of the Lower Extremity and the Concept of the Orthoplastic Approach. In Hong JP, Hallock GG (Eds.), Lower Extremity Reconstruction: A Practical Guide Thieme.

Severance G, Walsh L, Levy TJ, Mendenhall SD, Levin LS (2020). Restoration of Hand and Upper Extremity Function Using Transplantation. In Skirven T, Fedorczyk J, Feldscher S, Osterman AL, Amadio P, Shin E (Eds.), Rehabilitation of the Hand and Upper Extremity (7th Edition). Elsevier.

Posters and Presentations

2021

Reed ER, Hendrycks R, Graham EM, Rosales M, Mendenhall SD. Tendon Repairs at the Wrist Utilizing a Novel Tendon Stapler Device: An Efficiency and Biomechanical Study Across Different Experience Levels. American Society for Surgery of the Hand Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA. 2021.

Hendrycks R, Reed ER, Graham EM, Rosales M, Mendenhall SD. Efficiency and Learning Curve of Wrist Level Tendon Repairs Utilizing a Novel Tendon Stapler Device Across Different Skill Levels. American Society for Surgery of the Hand Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA. 2021.

Luo J, Kim R, Taylor C, Mahan MA, Mendenhall SD. Targeted Muscle Reinnervation of the Foot for Morton's Neuromas: An Anatomic Study.  American Society for Peripheral Nerve Annual Meeting, Virtual. 2021.

Reed ER, Hendrycks R, Graham EM, Rosales M, Mendenhall SD. Tendon Repairs at the Wrist Utilizing a Novel Tendon Stapler Device: An Efficiency and Biomechanical Study Across Different Experience Levels.  Adrian E. Flatt Residents and Fellows Conference American Society for Surgery of the Hand Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA. 2021.

Graham EM, Oliver JD, Hendrycks R, Mendenhall SD. Optimizing the Pulvertaft Weave: A Comprehensive Systematic Review of Biomechanical Studies.  American Association for Hand Surgery Annual Meeting, Virtual. 2021.

Reed ER, Hendrycks R, Graham EM, Mendenhall SM.  Flexor and Extensor Tendon Repairs at the Wrist Utilizing a Novel Tendon Stapler Device: An Efficiency and Biomechanical Study.  Mountain West Society of Plastic Surgeons Annual Meeting, Virtual. 2021.

Graham EM, Oliver JD, Hendrycks R, Maglic D, Mendenhall SD.  Alternative Tendon Repair Methods to the Pulvertaft Weave Technique: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Biomechanical Studies.  Mountain West Society of Plastic Surgeons Annual Meeting, Virtual. 2021.

2020

Mendenhall SD, Atkins D, Baschuk C, Duncan C, Lindborg K.  Getting a Grip on Mechanical and Externally Powered Partial Hand Prosthetics, Surgical Protocols.  The 2020 Virtual National Assembly of the American Orthotic and Prosthetic Association. 2020.

Mendenhall, SD.  Brief Overview of Tendon Transfers for Restoration of Hand Function after Nerve Injury. Congress of Neurological Surgeons, Educational Webinar. 2020.

Mendenhall SD.  Targeted Muscle Reinnervation for Upper and Lower Limb Loss, a Paradigm Shift in Treatment for Painful Neuromas and Phantom Limb Pain.  Mountain West Society of Plastic Surgeons Annual Meeting, Snowmass Village, CO. 2020.

2019

Graham E, Mendenhall SD. Utilizing Smart Phone Technology in Surgical Training.  Annual Medical Student Research Program Symposium, Park City, UT. 2019/

Tieman J, Mendenhall SD, Mirrer JT, Ben-Amotz O, McAndrew C, Chang B, Levin LS.  Variable Length Forearm Transplantation Using 3D-modeled Cutting Guides For Improved Pre-operative Planning and Osteosynthesis.  Annual meeting of the Mountain West Society of Plastic Surgeons, Lake Tahoe, NV. 2019.

Awards and Honors

2020, Resident Teacher of the Year Award, University of Utah Division of Plastic Surgery
2019, Young Leaders Program, American Society for Surgery of the Hand
2018, F. William Bora Jr. Excellence in Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery Award, Commencement Ceremony, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
2017, ISVCA Young Investigator Scientific Travel Award, International Society of Vascularized Composite Allotransplantation, The Transplantation Society, Salzburg, Austria
2017, First Place Award, Best Research Presentation, Illinois Society of Plastic Surgeons, Chicago, IL
2017, Best Basic Science Research Presentation, Annual SIU Department of Surgery Resident Research Day, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Springfield, IL
2017, Researcher Spotlight, The Plastic Surgery Foundation (PSF) Funded Research, American Society of Plastic Surgeons Plastic Surgery News, Arlington Heights, IL
2016, Resident Bowl Championship Team (1st Place), American Society of Plastic Surgeons Annual Meeting, Los Angeles, CA
2016, Top 10 Finalist, National Resident Award for Exemplary Teaching, American College of Surgeons, Chicago, IL
2016, Resident “Excellence in Teaching” Award, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Springfield, IL
2015, Best Presentation Award, Breast Reconstruction Session II, Resident Abstracts Session, American Society of Plastic Surgeons Annual Meeting, Boston, MA
2015, 2nd Best Research Presentation, American College of Surgeons, Illinois Chapter, Peoria, IL
2015, Best Basic Science Research Presentation, Midwestern Association of Plastic Surgeons Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL
2015, Resident “Excellence in Teaching” Award, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Springfield, IL
2014, Best Paper Presentation, Breast Session, American Society of Plastic Surgeons Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL
2014, Resident “Excellence in Teaching” Award, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Springfield, IL
2013, Best Paper Presentation, Breast I Session, American Society of Plastic Surgeons Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA
2013, Resident “Excellence in Teaching” Award, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Springfield, IL
2012, 2nd Best Basic Science Research Presentation, Midwestern Association of Plastic Surgeons Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL
2012, 2nd Best Basic Science Research Presentation, Annual SIU Department of Surgery Resident Research Day, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Springfield, IL
2012, Resident “Excellence in Teaching” Award, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Springfield, IL
2011, Edward W. Nelson M.D. Distinguished Student of Surgery Award, University of Utah School of Medicine, commencement ceremony, Salt Lake City, UT
2011, Best Research Presentation, Surgery Honors Symposium, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT
2007, Undergraduate Research Scholar Distinction, B.A., University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
2002, Biology Teaching Assistant of the Year, Department of Biology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT

Editorial and Academic Positions

Editorial Positions

2020-present, Orthoplastic Surgery Journal

Leadership and Memberships

Memberships in Professional Organizations

Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society
American Association for Hand Surgery
American Council of Academic Plastic Surgeons
American Society for Reconstructive Transplantation
American Society for Surgery of the Hand
American Society of Plastic Surgeons
International Society of Vascularized Composite Allotransplantation
Plastic Surgery Research Council
The Transplantation Society