Reconstruction of nail bed and fingertip defects with free nail flap / 中国医师杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To explore the application value of free nail flaps in reconstruction of nail bed and fingertip defect.Methods:From January 2018 to June 2020, nine patients with free nail flap transplantation to treat fingertip injuries in Lishui People′s Hospital were included in this study. According to the Allen classification, 6 patients were characterized as type Ⅱ and 3 were characterized as type Ⅲ. Evaluation was based on the patients′ medical records and follow-up, including postoperative healing of recipient and donor sites, two-point discrimination, the Chinese Medical Association Hand Surgery Society′s evaluation of the function of severed finger replantation, and Michigan Hand Outcomes Questionnaire (MHQ) and Foot Function Index (FFI).Results:All patients successfully completed the operation, the operation time was 3.0-5.0 h (average 4.1 h), the intraoperative blood loss was 100-250 ml (average 178 ml), and the follow-up time was 12-40 months (average 25 months). The nails and flaps of all patients survived with primary healing. No complications were observed after surgery. The appearance of the reconstructed finger of 9 patients was similar to that of the uninfected side; the flap two-point discrimination was 5.0-7.5 mm; the replantation score and MHQ results were satisfactory. The toenail of the donor site grew well, and no deformity or pain with walking was noted.Conclusions:The free toenail flap was used to treat fingertip defects, with satisfactory clinical results in repairing tissue defects, reconstructing nail bed and maintaining finger length.