Aesthetic reconstruction of distal segment of finger with modified second toe nail flap without sacrifice a toe / 中华显微外科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To explore the method and effect of aesthetic reconstruction of distal segment of finger with modified second toe nail flap while retains the full length of the second toe.Methods:From April 2018 to June 2020, 16 patients with degloving injury of distal segment of fingers were treated. The patients were 11 males and 5 females aged 18 to 45 years in an average of 29 years. All injuries were degloving injury of the distal segment of finger, including 5 index fingers, 7 middle fingers, 3 ring fingers and 1 little finger. The time from injury to operation was 0.5-3.0 hours, with an average of 1.5 hours. The second toe nail flap was used for the reconstruction. After the dorsal flap of the second toe was rotated to the plantar side of the foot, the donor site defect was repaired by a skin graft. The regular follow up reviews were carried out.Results:All 16 flaps survived except 1 flap had necrosis and underwent toe amputation of the distal segment of the second toe. All patients entered follow-up for 4-12 months, with an average of 5.7 months. The blood supply of all flaps was good. After the flaps having atrophied, they were equivalent to the diameter of the body of normal fingers with the TPD at 6.5(4-10) mm; All patients returned to work. According to the Evaluation Standard of Upper Limb Function of Chinese Hand Surgery Society, 13 cases were graded as excellent, 2 were good and 1 was fair.Conclusion:The techniques of modified second toe toenail flap in aesthetic reconstruction of the distal segment of a finger can effectively restore the length and aesthetic appearance of the affected finger, without sacrificing the donor toe. Clinical application of it should be promoted.