ABSTRACT
Objective:To investigate the effect of chimeric flap pedicled with superficial branch of superficial iliac circumflex artery in repair of soft tissue defect of dorsal hand combined with metacarpal bone defect.Methods:From May 2015 to January 2022, 34 patients(28 males and 6 females) of soft tissue defects of dorsal hand with metacarpal bone defects were treated in the Department of Orthopedics of Yibin Third People's Hospital. The age of patients ranged from 22 to 51 years old, with an average age of 37 years old. The areas of soft tissue defects after debridement were 2.5 cm×5.0 cm-4.5 cm×9.0 cm, and the defects were all in dorsal hand and dorsal wrist. The lengths of metacarpal bone defect were 1.8-4.1 cm. All the patients had only single metacarpal bone defect, among which: 14 patients had defects in first metacarpal bone, 7 in second metacarpal bone, 4 in third metacarpal bone, 8 in fourth metacarpal bone and 1 in fifth metacarpal bone. All the patients were repaired by chimeric flap pedicled with superficial branch of superficial iliac circumflex artery. The size of flaps were 3.6 cm×5.4 cm-5.2 cm×9.5 cm. Anticoagulation, thermal preservation and plaster fixation were applied for 4-6 weeks after surgery. Postoperative follow-ups included regularly outpatient clinic visit, telephone or Wechat reviews. Follow-up items covered: the feeling and appearance of flaps in recipient sites, healing of the donor sites and recovery of hand functions.Results:All the 34 chimeric flaps survived. Regular follow-up lasted for 3 to 15(average, 10) months. All incisions in the donor sites of hip healed in stage I. TPD of the flaps was 5.1-7.3(mean, 6.4) mm. Appearance of flaps in the receiving area were satisfactory without swelling. Movement of wrists and metacarpophalangeal joints met the basic requirement of movement. The healing time of metacarpal defect was 2-3 months with an average of 2.8 months. Hand functions were evaluated at excellent in 6 patients and good in 28, according to the Evaluation Standard of Upper Limb Partial Functional of Hand Surgery of Chinese Medical Association.Conclusion:The chimeric flap pedicled with superficial branch of superficial iliac circumflex artery is an ideal flap to repair the soft tissue defect in dorsal hand combined with metacarpal bone defect. It has advantages of less donor site damage, good blood supply of flap, simple surgical procedure, and one-stage repair of a combined soft tissue and metacarpal bone defects.