ObjectiveTo investigate the effectiveness of free second toe dorsal flap combined with middle or ring finger island flap for repairing degloved thumbs. MethodsBetween August 2009 and June 2013, 6 patients with degloving injury of the thumb were treated using free second toe dorsal flap combined with middle or ring finger island flap. There were 4 males and 2 females, aged 19-44 years (mean, 32 years). The left thumb was involved in 2 cases and the right thumb in 4 cases, including 5 cases of type II and 1 case of type III degloving injury. The size of wound was 5.5 cm×2.5 cm to 6.5 cm×5.0 cm. After emergency debridemented, 5 patients underwent vacuum sealing drainage and surgical repair after 3-5 days; 1 patient underwent abdominal embedding and repair after 14 days. The size of second toe dorsal flap ranged from 2.5 cm×2.2 cm to 4.2 cm×3.0 cm, and the size of middle or ring finger island flap ranged from 2.0 cm×1.5 cm to 3.5 cm×2.8 cm. Neurorrhaphy was performed between the plantar digital nerve of the second toe and the proper digital nerve at the recipient site in 5 cases, and no nerve anastomose in 1 case. All the distal phalanxes were partially excised. The donor sites were covered with free skin grafts. ResultsAll of the flaps survived completely and incision healed by first intention. Three patients had alloesthesia of the middle or ring finger island flaps. All of the 6 patients were followed up from 6 months to 3 years (mean, 23 months). The flaps had good color and soft texture, and the finger had satisfactory appearance, but the fingernails were smaller than that of normal side. The sensation of the dorsum of the second toe reached S3, and the mean two-point discrimination of the pulp was 6 mm (range, 4-7 mm). According to total active movement (TAM) system, the function of the thumbs was excellent in 5 cases and good in 1 case. ConclusionA combination of free second toe dorsal flap and middle or ring finger island flap is a useful and reliable technique for reconstruction of a degloved thumb.
Objective To investigate the effectiveness of finger reconstruction using nail flap anastomosing the nerve branch of the first toe nail bed. MethodsBetween January 2016 and December 2022, 18 patients (18 fingers) with thumb or finger nail bed defects were admitted. There were 12 males and 6 females, with an average age of 32 years (range, 19-42 years). Four cases were finger tip tissue damage caused by machine compression, and 4 cases were distal tissue necrosis after finger replantation. There were 9 cases of thumb injury, 3 cases of index finger injury, 5 cases of middle finger injury, and 1 case of ring finger injury. There were 11 cases of distal nail damage and 7 cases of distal nail root (including nail root) damage. The time from injury to admission was 1-5 hours, with an average of 2 hours. After debridement and anti-infection treatment for 5-7 days, the wounds in size of 1 cm×1 cm to 4 cm×3 cm were reconstructed by using nail flaps anastomosing the nerve branches of the first toe nail bed. The size of the nail flaps ranged from 1.5 cm×1.5 cm to 4.5 cm×3.5 cm. The donor sites were repaired with the flaps in 16 cases and skin graft in 2 cases. Results All nail flaps, flaps, and skin grafts survived after operation and the wounds healed by first intention. All patients were followed up 6-12 months (mean, 10 months). The nails of 18 cases were all grown, in which 16 cases had smooth nails with satisfactory appearances, 1 case had uneven nails, and 1 case had obvious scar hyperplasia around the suture opening. At 6 months after operation, the two-point discrimination of the skin flap was 4-8 mm (mean, 6 mm). Meanwhile, the skin grafts and flaps at the donor sites regained protective sensation, good abrasion resistance, and had no negative effect upon walking and wearing shoes. ConclusionThe application of a nail flap that anastomoses the nerve branch of the first toe nail bed for finger reconstruction has minimal damage and can achieve good nail bed repair results.