Objective To investigate the effectiveness of groin flap combined with medial plantar artery perforator flap (MPAP) for degree Ⅲ-Ⅳ defects of multiple fingers. Methods Between January 2018 and June 2019, 12 patients with degree Ⅲ-Ⅳ defects of multiple fingers caused by crushing were admitted. There were 9 males and 3 females with a median age of 29 years (range, 16-42 years). The mean interval between the injury and admission was 3 hours (range, 1-9 hours). The injured fingers of 7 cases were index and middle fingers, 4 cases were middle and ring fingers, and 1 case was index, middle, and ring fingers. All fingers were taken thorough debridement and covered by the vacuum sealing drainage device during the emergency operation. The mean interval between the debridement and flap repairing was 18 hours (range, 12-36 hours). During the first-stage operation, the iliac bone graft was used to reconstruct bone frame, and the proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joint from the foot was transferred as the digital PIP joint, then the thin groin flap and MPAP were tailored to cover the dorsal and palmar defects, respectively. The size of the groin flap was 7.0 cm×4.5 cm-14.0 cm×9.0 cm, and the size of the MPAP was 8.0 cm×4.5 cm-14.0 cm×6.5 cm. The abdominal donor site was directly sutured, and the foot was repaired with full-thickness skin grafting. The flaps were separated into the finger shape at the second-stage. Results All the flaps survived, and the wounds healed by first intention; the incisions in the donor site healed by first intention, and the skin grafts survived completely. All patients were followed up 12-18 months (mean, 16 months). At last follow-up, the injured finger was similar to the contralateral one in terms of texture, appearance, and color. The mean two-point discrimination was 8 mm (range, 6-10 mm), and the sensate level recovered to the S3-S4. According to the Michigan Hand Outcomes Questionnaire (MHQ), the reconstructed hand function was excellent in 8 cases and good in 4 cases. There was no complication in the donor sites. Conclusion The degree Ⅲ-Ⅳ defects of multiple fingers were repaired by the groin flap and MPAP, and the reconstructed fingers can perform good texture and motion with being sensate, with less sacrifice on the foot.
ObjectiveTo explore the effectiveness of the free anastomosis cutaneous nerve double arterialized venous flap graft in repairing finger defect. MethodsBetween May 2010 and May 2013, 39 patients with finger defect were treated. There were 27 males and 12 females with an average age of 31 years (range, 17-45 years). The injury to admission time was 30-90 minutes (mean, 60 minutes). The causes included mechanical injury in 23 cases, crush injury in 11 cases, and other injury in 5 cases. The thumb was involved in 13 cases, the index finger in 11 cases, the middle finger in 9 cases, the ring finger in 4 cases, and the little finger in 2 cases. Skin soft tissue defect ranged from 2 cm×1 cm to 4 cm×2 cm. of them, 22 cases had tendon injury, 17 cases had tendon and phalanx injuries. The size of free anastomosis cutaneous nerve double arterialized venous flap ranged from 2.5 cm×1.5 cm to 4.5 cm×2.5 cm. The donor site was directly sutured. ResultsTension blister and swelling were observed at distal flap in 5 cases at 3-5 days after operation and were cured after symptomatic treatment; the other 34 flaps survived, and wound healed by first intention. Primary healing at donor site was obtained. The patients were followed up 6-12 months (mean, 9 months). The flap appearance and texture were good with two-point discrimination of 6-9 mm (mean, 7.5 mm). According to the upper extremity function evaluation criteria issued by the Hand Surgery Society of Chinese Medical Association, the results were excellent in 35 cases and good in 4 cases. ConclusionThe free anastomosis cutaneous nerve double arterialized venous flap not only can ensure the flap blood supply, but also can obviously improve the sensory function of the flap, which greatly reduces the risk of postoperative flap atrophy, and can achieved satisfactory effectiveness.