Restoration of thumb opposition by transposing the flexsor pollicis brevis muscle: thirteen-year clinical application / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>To repair late median nerve injury, many methods have been used in the past years. The aim of this study was to review a thirteen-year experience in restoration of thumb opposition by transposing flexor pollicis brevis muscle.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>From July 1992 to August 2005, 63 patients without thumb opposition because of late median never injury were treated by transposing the flexor pollicis brevis muscle. All the patients had received primary nerve repair after the jnjury. The interval between the injury and the second operation was (1.87 +/- 2.31) years (6 months to 4.2 years). The patients were followed up for 3 to 48 [months mean (22.93 +/- 2.31) months]. A functional evaluation system designed in 1992 were used to estimate the outcomes of the patients.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>All the patients gained excellent functional results without complications and disabilities during follow-up.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Restoration of thumb opposition by transposing flexsor pollicis brevis muscle has the following advantages: 1. Operative trauma is minimal; 2. It is not necessary to transpose other tendons; 3. Except for the thumb in opposition, movements of other fingers and the wrist are not restricted postoperatively.</p>

Repair of postburn hand using scarred skin and an abdominal flap in patients with severe burns / 中华整形外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To introduce a method for repairing and restoring hand function of the patients suffering from large surface area burn with scarce normal skin for reconstruction.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Seven patients (ten hands) were treated in our department from April 1994 to February 2001. The TBSA involved with second- or third-degree burns was 85%-96%. All the hands had severe scar contracture on the dorsum and lost most of their function. A scarred skin flap, based on the ulnar border of the hand was elevated integrally on the dorsum. A random-pattern abdominal flap at a less-scarred area was designed and elevated to cover the defect of the hand while the scarred skin flap of the hand was transferred to the donor site of the abdominal flap.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>All patients were followed for 0.5 to 4 years postoperatively. The range of motion of the metacarpophalangeal joint and the space capacity of the first web were greatly improved. All patients regained self-care ability.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>This method is simple and has satisfactory results. Under the circumstances where normal skin was not available for reconstruction, the function of the burned hand could be greatly improved by this method.</p>