Classic papers in hand surgery.

Throughout the development of hand surgery as a specialty thousands of papers have been published. This paper identifies the classic papers in 13 categories covering the field of hand surgery. To be named a classic paper, it must meet three criteria: (1) it must establish or refine a technique or concept; (2) the technique must survive the passage of time; and (3) it must change the course of treatment. (J Hand Surg 2000; 25A:14-18. Copyright 2000 by the American Society for Surgery of the Hand.).