Objective?To introduce a new method of flap design and to investigate the feasibility of the clinical application.?Methods?Between April 2006 and November 2009, 89 patients with skin and soft tissue defects were treated. There were 47 males and 42 females with an average age of 36 years (range, 16-67 years). The injuries were caused by machine crush (38 cases), electric saw (16 cases), electricity (8 cases), traffic accident (18 cases), rolling machine (3 cases), and crash of heavy object (6 cases). The locations were forearm in 4 cases, palm in 23 cases, finger in 41 cases, lower leg in 7 cases, and dorsum of foot in 14 cases. All the cases complicated by exposure of tendons or bones. The time from injury to hospitalization was 30 minutes to 5 days (mean, 3 hours). The areas of skin and soft tissue defect ranged from 2.0 cm × 1.5 cm to 26.0 cm × 18.0cm. The wounds were repaired with the pedicle flaps in 72 cases and the free flaps in 17 cases. All the flaps were designed with eight-point-location method. A trapezoid was made in the raw surface and the four vertexes of the trapezoid were on the edge of the raw surface. The exterior points of the heights of arciforms were made on the edge of the raw surface too. The eight points were the labelling points. The top width, the bottom width, the height of the trapezoid, and the heights of the arciforms could be measured. The above numerus were expanded 5%-10%. The expanded numerus were the corresponding numerus of the skin flap. The size of flaps ranged from 2.2 cm × 1.7 cm to 28.5 cm × 19.5cm. The donor sites were closed directly in 17 cases, and repaired with skin grafts in 72 cases.?Results?All the flaps were successfully dissected according to flap design. When the flaps were transplanted to the wounds, tension of the flaps was appropriate. All the flaps and skin grafts survived. The wounds and incisions at donor sites healed by first intention. Eighty-nine patients were followed up 6 to 26 months (mean, 20 months). The texture, appearance, flexibility, and function of the flaps were satisfactory, and no complication occurred. The sensory restoration of the pedicle flaps were graded as S3-S4.?Conclusion?It is an ideal and simple method to design flap using eight-point-location method. The flaps are precise in the figure and area.
Objective To investigate the effectiveness of transferring the ulnaris proper digital nerve of index finger and its dorsal branch to repair the thumb nerve avulsion. Methods Between January 2007 and May 2015, 23 patients with thumb nerve avulsion were treated by transferring the ulnaris proper digital nerve of index finger and its dorsal branch. There were 17 males and 6 females with an average age of 32 years (range, 16-63 years). The injuries were caused by machine twist in 10 cases, electric saw in 8 cases, and sharp article prick in 5 cases. And thumb rotational avulsion amputation happened in 8 cases, thumb incomplete amputation in 2 cases, laceration of thumb palmaris with the thumb nerve avulsion of both sides in 13 caese (7 cases with tendon rupture). The time from injury to operation was 1.0-3.5 hours (mean, 2.2 hours). Results All incisions healed by first intention. Ten cases of thumb reimplantation were successful. All the patients were followed up for 5 months to 2 years and 8 months, with an average of 1 year and 4 months. Two-point discrimination was 3-9 mm (mean, 6.8 mm). According to Society of Hand Surgery standard for the evaluation of upper part of the function, the sensory of the thumb was rated as S4 in 18 cases and \begin{document}${{\rm{S}}_{\scriptsize{3^ + }}}$\end{document} in 5 cases; the sensory at donor sites recovered to S3. Conclusion Transferring the ulnaris proper digital nerve of index finger and its dorsal branch to repair the thumb nerve avulsion is a simple and effective method to restore sensory function of the thumb pulp.
Objective To investigate the effectiveness of cross finger flap pedicled with the dorsal branch of proper digital artery in repairing degloving injury of the fingertip. Methods Between January 2010 and June 2012, 13 cases of degloving injury of single fingertip were treated, including 9 males and 4 females with an average age of 33.6 years (range, 17-46 years). The defect locations were index finger in 5 cases, middle finger in 3 cases, ring finger in 3 cases, and little finger in 2 cases, including 4 cases of mechanical injury, 6 cases of twist injury, and 3 cases of crushing injury. The extent of skin avulsion was beyond the distal interphalangeal joint. The length of the avulsion was 1.0-2.1 cm (mean, 1.8 cm). Complicated injuries included phalangeal fracture in 2 cases. The time from injury to operation was 90-330 minutes (mean, 150 minutes). The wound was repaired with the cross finger flap pedicled with the dorsal branch of proper digital artery. The size of flaps ranged from 3.2 cm × 2.3 cm to 4.2 cm × 3.1 cm. After 3-4 weeks, the pedicle was cut. The donors were closed by skin graft. Results Tension blisters of the flap and partial necrosis of skin graft occurred in 3 cases and in 1 case respectively, which were cured after symptomatic treatment; the flap and skin graft survived, and primary healing was obtained in the other cases. Thirteen patients were followed up 6-10 months (mean, 7 months). The texture and appearance of all the flaps were satisfactory. At 6 months after operation, two-point discrimination ranged from 7 to 10 mm (mean, 8.1 mm). The total active movement of the fingers were excellent in 10 cases and good in 3 cases, and the excellent and good rate was 100%. Conclusion The treatment of degloving injury of fingertip with the cross finger flap pedicled with the dorsal branch of proper digital artery is recommendable for the advantages of reliable blood supply, simple operation, high survival rate of the flap, good function recovery of the finger, and satisfactory appearance.