【Abstract】 Objective To investigate the effectiveness of the vacuum sealing drainage (VSD) technique with split middle thickness skin replantation for the treatment of severe skin closed internal degloving injury (CIDI). Methods Between July 2008 and April 2011, 16 patients with severe skin CIDI were treated. There were 11 males and 5 females, aged 17-56 years (mean, 28 years). Injury was caused by traffic accident in all cases. The time between injury and operation was 2-8 hours (mean, 5 hours). Peeling skin parts included the upper limb in 3 cases and the lower limb in 13 cases. The range of skin exfoliation was 5%-12% (mean, 7%) of the body surface area with different degree of skin contamination. After thorough debridement, exfoliative skin was made split middle thickness skin graft for in situ replantation, and then VSD was performed. Results After 7 days of VSD therapy, graft skin survived successfully in 14 cases; partial necrosis of graft skin occurred in 2 cases, and was cured after thorough debridement combined with antibiotics for 7 days. All patients were followed up 6-18 months (mean, 12 months). The appearance of the limb was satisfactory without obvious scar formation, and the blood supply and sensation were normal.The joint function was normal. Conclusion For patients with severe skin CIDI, VSD treatment combined with split middle thickness skin replantation can improve the local blood circulation of the limb, promote replantation skin survival, and shorten healing time of wound. The clinical effectiveness is satisfactory.
Objective To summarize the injury characteristics of the whole hand degloving injury and to explore its classification and treatment. Methods Between December 1999 and May 2010, 41 cases of the whole hand degloving injury were admitted for treatment. There were 28 males and 13 females with an average age of 35 years (range, 18-58 years). The causesof injury included mangled injury in 28 cases and crush injury in 13 cases. The interval between injury and surgery was 1-10 hours (mean, 3 hours). According to self-made classification standard for whole hand degloving injury, 11 cases were rated as type I, 5 cases as type II, 4 cases as type III, 8 cases as type IV, and 13 cases as type V. Type I injury was treated by replantation surgery with vascular anastomosis, type II by reconstruction with thumb flap and the second toe containing dorsal skin flap, type III by reconstruction with the second toe containing dorsal skin flap of both feet, type IV by replantation surgery with vascular anastomosis, and type V by reconstruction with thumb flap containing dorsal skin flap (8 cases) or repairing with abdominal flap (5 cases). The size of the dorsal flap was between 9 cm × 6 cm and 17 cm × 11 cm and the dorsal donor site was covered with free skin grafting. Results After surgery, partial necrosis occurred at fingers in 6 patients with type I injury, and at fingers and palm skin in 6 patients with type IV injury; the flaps, the reconstructed fingers, and replanted skin all survived in the others. The grafted skin at donor sites successfully healed. Forty cases were followed up from 6 months to 7 years (mean, 14 months). The skin color and texture were close to normal hand in the cases undergoing replantation, who had the best function restoration with S2-S4 sensory recovery; the hand function was basically restored with S2-S3 sensory recovery in the cases undergoing finger reconstruction with thumb and toe flaps; and the restoration of the hand function was not satisfactory with S1-S2 sensory recovery in the cases undergoing abdominal flaps. Conclusion Whole hand degloving injury can be classified into different types according to injury degree and this will help choose the cl inical treatment plan. The appropriate treatment based on these types can obtain better cl inical effectiveness.
Objective?To compare the double dorsal phalangeal flap (DDPF) with the combination of digital neurovascular island flap (NVIF) and first dorsal metacarpal artery flap (FDMA) in terms of repairing digit degloving injury.?Methods?From October 2005 to March 2008, DDPF was used to repair 9 patients (9 fingers) with degloving injury of the thumb and index finger and completely amputated thumb and index finger (group A). From August 1996 to June 2007, NVIF and FDMA were used to repair 13 patients (13 fingers) with the thumb degloving injury and completely amputated or necrotic thumb (group B). In group A, there were 7 males and 2 females aged 19-48 years old, there were 4 cases of thumb and index finger degloving injury repair and 5 cases of completely amputated thumb and index finger reconstruction, the skin defect ranged from 6.0 cm × 3.5 cm to 7.0 cm × 4.5 cm, and the interval between injury and operation was 3-10 hours. The size of DDPF harvested during operation was 4.0 cm × 3.5 cm-5.0 cm × 4.0 cm. In group B, there were 10 males and 3 females aged 18-50 years old, there were 5 cases of thumb degloving injury repair and 8 cases of completely amputated or necrotic thumb reconstruction, the skin defect ranged from 6.0 cm × 3.0 cm to 7.0 cm × 4.5 cm, and the interval between injury and operation was 3 hours-5 days, and the size of NVIF and FDMA harvested during operation was 3.5 cm × 3.0 cm-5.0 cm × 4.0 cm. The donor site was repaired with the full-thickness skin graft.?Results?All the flaps survived uneventfully except for 1 case in group A suffering from venous crisis 1 day after operation and 2 cases in group B suffering from FDMA artery crisis 4-12 hours after operation. Those flaps survived after symptomatic treatment. All the wounds healed by first intention. All patients in two groups were followed up for 1-12 years (average 3.2 years). All the donor sites were normal except for 3 cases in group B suffering from flexion contracture deformity of the proximal interphalangeal joint due to the scar contracture in the margin of NVIF donor site. According to Allen test, the skin temperature and color of the donor fingers in two groups were normal under room temperature; 1 case of group A and 6 NVIF donor fingers of group B were pale and cold under ice water. According to sensory recovery evaluation system, 16 fingers in group A were graded as S4, 1 as S3+, and 1 as S2; while in group B, 3 NVIF fingers were graded as S3, 6 NVIF fingers as S2, 4 NVIF fingers as S1, and 13 FDMA fingers as S4. The appearance of the recipient flap was satisfactory and the color was similar to the surrounding skin. The skin temperature and color of the flaps in two groups were normal under room temperature; 2 cases of group A and 4 recipient fingers of group B were pale and cold under ice water. In group A, all the palmar flap of the recipient finger achieved the reorientation of the recipient flap sensation; while in group B, 8 cases achieved the reorientation of the recipient flap sensation, and 5 cases had double sensation. For the two-point discrimination of the flap, group B was superior to that of group A in terms of the palmar aspect (P lt; 0.05), no significant difference was evident between two groups in terms of the dorsal aspect (P gt; 0.05), and the palmar aspect of each group was superior to the dorsal flap (P lt; 0.05).?Conclusion?DDPF is less invasive to donor finger, easy to be operated, able to partially restore the sensory of the injured finger, and suitable for the repair of the degloving injury of the thumb and the index finger. Combination of NVIF and FDMA can restore the fine sensory of recipient palmar flap better and is applicable for those patients suffering from digital nerve defects from the proximal phalanx and with high demand for the recovery of thumb sensory.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical effects of the microsurgical treatment for the skin-degloving injury of the whole hand or foot. METHODS: From March 1984 to October 2001, we treated 6 cases of skin-degloving injury of the whole hand and foot. In 2 cases of skin-degloving hands, one was treated with free great omentum transplantation plus skin graft, the other with pedical abdominal S-shaped skin flap as well as mid-thick skin graft. In 4 cases of skin-degloving injury of the foot, 2 cases was repaired with free latissimus dosi musculocutaneous flap, 1 case with distall-based lateral skin flap of the leg and 1 case with free tensor fasciae latae muscle flap. The flap size ranged from 7 cm x 9 cm to 22 cm x 15 cm. One case was operated on the emergency stage, the other 5 cases on the delayed stage. The delayed time ranged from 2 to 14 days with an average of 6.6 days. RESULTS: All the flaps survived. After 1-2 year follow-up, the appearance and function of the hand and the foot were good. CONCLUSION: Microsurgery technique in repairing skin-degloving injury of the whole hand and foot can achieve good results. The keys to success are thorough debridement of the recipient area, appropriate selection of the donor site, good vascular anastomosis and active postoperative rehabilitation.
ObjectiveTo investigate the effectiveness of dorsalis pedis flap series-parallel big toe nail composite tissue flap in the repairment of hand skin of degloving injury with tumb defect. MethodsBetween March 2009 and June 2013, 8 cases of hand degloving injury with thumb defect caused by machine twisting were treated. There were 7 males and 1 female with the mean age of 36 years (range, 26-48 years). Injury located at the left hand in 3 cases and at the right hand in 5 cases. The time from injury to hospitalization was 1.5-4.0 hours (mean, 2.5 hours). The defect area was 8 cm×6 cm to 15 cm×11 cm. The thumb defect was rated as degree I in 5 cases and as degree II in 3 cases. The contralateral dorsal skin flap (9 cm×7 cm to 10 cm×8 cm) combined with ipsilateral big toe nail composite tissue flap (2.5 cm×1.8 cm to 3.0 cm×2.0 cm) was used, including 3 parallel anastomosis flaps and 5 series anastomosis flaps. The donor site of the dorsal flap was repaired with thick skin grafts, the stumps wound was covered with tongue flap at the shank side of big toe. ResultsVascular crisis occurred in 1 big toe nail composite tissue flap, margin necrosis occurred in 2 dorsalis pedis flap;the other flaps survived, and primary healing of wound was obtained. The grafted skin at dorsal donor site all survived, skin of hallux toe stump had no necrosis. Eight cases were followed up 4-20 months (mean, 15.5 months). All flaps had soft texture and satisfactory appearance;the cutaneous sensory recovery time was 4-7 months (mean, 5 months). At 4 months after operation, the two-point discrimination of the thumb pulp was 8-10 mm (mean, 9 mm), and the two-point discrimination of dorsal skin flap was 7-9 mm (mean, 8.5 mm). According to Society of Hand Surgery standard for the evaluation of upper part of the function, the results were excellent in 4 cases, good in 3 cases, and fair in 1 case. The donor foot had normal function. ConclusionDorsalis pedis flap series-parallel big toe nail composite tissue flap is an ideal way to repair hand skin defect, and reconstructs the thumb, which has many advantages, including simple surgical procedure, no limitation to recipient site, soft texture, satisfactory appearance and function of reconstructing thumb, and small donor foot loss.
Objective To investigate the effectiveness of ipsilateral digital proper artery dorsal branch flap to repair mid-phalanx degloving injury with distal segment finger defect. Methods Between February 2013 and July 2016, 11 cases (11 fingers) of mid-phalanx degloving injury with distal segment finger defect were treated. There were 9 males and 2 females with an average age of 33.6 years (range, 18-59 years). The injury caused by twisting in 8 cases and crushing in 3 cases. The injury located at index finger in 3 cases, middle finger in 6 cases, and ring finger in 2 cases. The skin avulsion was from proximal interphalangeal joint in 1 case, proximal 1/4 of mid-phalanx in 6 cases, and 1/2 of mid-phalanx in 4 cases. The area of wounds ranged from 4.0 cm×1.7 cm to 6.2 cm×2.6 cm. The interval between injury and operation was 2.5-6.0 hours (mean, 4.5 hours). All defects were repaired with the ipsilateral digital proper artery dorsal branch flaps. The size of flaps ranged from 4.4 cm×1.9 cm to 7.0 cm×2.9 cm. Nerve anastomose was carried between digital proper nerve dorsal branch in the flap and digital proper nerve stump in the wound. The donor sites were repaired by skin grafting. Results Tension blisters of the flap and partial necrosis occurred in 1 case, and healed after dressing change. The other flaps and skin grafting survived, and wounds healed by first intention. All patients were followed up 6-18 months (mean, 16 months). The texture and appearance of all the flaps were satisfactory. At 6 months after operation, two-point discrimination of flaps ranged from 7 to 10 mm (mean, 8.5 mm). At last follow-up, according to the functional assessment criteria of upper limbs by the Branch of Hand Surgery of Chinese Medicine Association, the results were excellent in 10 cases and good in 1 case, with the excellent and good rate of 100%. Conclusion The ipsilateral digital proper artery dorsal branch flap is a good method to repair mid-phalanx degloving injury with distal segment finger defect for the advantages of simple operation, less damage in donor site, high survival rate of the flap, and good feeling recovery of the finger.
ObjectiveTo investigate the effectiveness of Ilizarov technique in reconstruction of thumb function in patients with thumb degloving injury after amputation.MethodsBetween June 2011 and September 2016, 9 cases of thumb degloving injury were treated with amputation and Ilizarov technology. There were 8 males and 1 female with an age of 18-52 years (mean, 34.7 years). The amputation plane was the level of the metacarpophalangeal joint in 5 cases, the level of the proximal metacarpophalangeal joint in 2 cases, and the level of the base of the proximal phalanx in 2 cases (the length of proximal phalanx was less than 1 cm). After amputation, the affected finger was shorter than the healthy finger by 4.0-7.5 cm, with an average of 5.7 cm. On the fifth day after operation, the semi-loop external fixation extender was applied for extension, which was extended by 0.5 mm per day, and was extended once every 6 hours.ResultsAfter bone lengthening surgery, the first web space elevation and contracture occurred in 8 cases. Six of them were treated with the amputation of the inner muscle of the thumb and the "Z" forming technique, postoperative thumb function recovered well; the remaining 2 cases rejected plasty. All 9 patients were followed up 14-47 months, with an average of 33 months. Bone lengthening time was 64-122 days, with an average of 86 days. The lengthening length of bone was 3.0-5.9 cm, with an average of 4.1 cm, and the average lengthening length was 71.9% of the average shortened length. The fixation time of external fixator was 169-342 days, with an average of 231 days. The healing index was 43.2-59.1 days/cm, with an average of 53.4 days/cm. One case showed prolonged mineralization delay and recovered after "accordion" treatment. Bone healing was finally achieved in all patients, with the healing time ranging from 169 to 342 days, with an average of 231 days. No replantation internal fixation and flexion contracture occurred. The two-point discrimination of extended fingertip was similar to that of normal fingertip. The grip strength reached 53%-89% of the healthy side; the kneading force reached 59%-91% of the healthy side.ConclusionThe application of Ilizarov technology to extend the thumb metacarpal lengthening is a good method to reconstruction the thumb function after degloving injury.
Objective To investigate the effectiveness of the combination of the anterolateral thigh perforator (ALTP) flap and other flaps for repairing the extreme circumferential defects on the limb. Methods Between October 2016 and June 2019, 9 patients with the extreme circumferential defects on the limb were admitted, which resulted by degloving injury, including 8 males and 1 female with a median age of 42 years (range, 32-65 years). The etiology involved twist injury in 5 cases, traffic accident in 2 cases, and high voltage electric injury in 2 cases. The location of the defects was left forearm in 2 cases, right forearm in 3, left foot in 3, and right foot in 1. The injected wound bed followed by the exposure of bone, joint, tendon, and blood vessel. The dimension of defects was 25 cm×20 cm to 40 cm×28 cm. The period between the injury and admission was 1-12 hours (mean, 5 hours). All contaminated wounds were taken thorough and radical debridement and covered by the vacuum sealing drainage device during the emergency operation. The ALTP flap and the other one flap were tailored according to the dimension of the wound when the wound surface became granulating, including the thoracodorsal artery perforator (TAP) flap in 3 cases, superficial inferior epigastric artery perforator flap in 3 cases, superficial circumflex iliac artery perforator flap in 3 cases. And the donor site was primary closure. Results After operation, all the flaps survived except 1 case of partial necrosis at the edge of TAP flap and healed after secondary skin grafting, and the wounds in the donor and recipient areas healed by first intention. All patients were followed up 14-24 months (mean, 16 months). The shape of the flap was satisfactory and the texture was soft. There was no abnormal hair growth and obvious pigmentation during the follow-up. Only linear scar was left in the donor area, there was no complication such as abdominal wall hernia, and the activity of hip and knee was not affected. The functional reconstruction of upper limb and ankle was satisfactory, and the disabilities of the arm, shoulder, and hand (DASH) score was excellent in 4 cases and good in 1 case; the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Association (AOFAS) score was excellent in 3 cases and good in 1 case. Conclusion ALTP flap combined with different flaps can reconstruct the circumferential extreme defects after limb damage in one-stage, which can achieve limb salvage to the greatest extent.
Morel-Lavallée lesions manifest as a type of subcutaneous closed degloving injury, where the external violence creates a potential space between the subcutaneous tissue and the deep fascia, leading to the accumulation of fluid and the formation of infection within the cavity. The primary causes of Morel-Lavallée lesions include high-energy trauma, blunt force injuries, or compression injuries, with the lesions typically located around the greater trochanter. Due to the potential for clinical oversight, these lesions may result in complications such as infection at the fracture site. In light of these circumstances, this article provides a comprehensive review of the etiology, epidemiology, pathological mechanisms, clinical manifestations, imaging features, differential diagnosis, complications, and treatment modalities of Morel-Lavallée lesions. The aim is to enhance the awareness of trauma orthopedic surgeons regarding this injury, thereby offering insights for clinical decision-making.