Clinical application of lateral great toe flap in decoratively reconstruction of thumb pulp defect / 北京大学学报(医学版)

ABSTRACT

Objective:To investigate the validity and the outcome of a new surgery method that utilizes lateral great toe flap to decoratively reconstruct the thumb pulp loss.Methods:From Jan.2009 to Jan. 2014 , 22 cases with unilateral thumb pulp defect were included, for whom, lateral great toe flap was de-ployed to reconstruct the thumb.Blood circulation was re-established by the anastomosis of the digital vessels of toes and fingers in 18 cases, the other 4 cases were conducted by a dorsal metatarsal artery and vein anastomosed to the deep branch of the radial artery and the dorsal metacarpal vein respectively; as for the nerve repair, toe-to-finger digital nerve anastomosis was performed.The donor sites were covered by full-thickness inguinal skin grafts.Results:All the 22 flaps survived without complications.With 6 to 12 months follow-up, the surviving fingers all presented aesthetically pleasant appearance with vivid loops and whorls.Normal functions like sweating were restored as well, and the two-point-discrimination ranged 3.0 to 6.0 mm (4.2 mm in average).The skin grafts to the donor sites healed uneventfully, the appearance and functions of the feet were unaffected.Conclusion: Lateral toe flap should be the first-line choice for reconstructing thumb defect, as it conveniently restores both functions and outlook.