1/78. Dorsolateral toe flap as a neurovascular graft carrier in finger reconstruction.Simultaneous finger nerve and artery grafting, and soft-tissue coverage with a dorsolateral toe flap, including a plantar digital neurovascular bundle, were performed in a single patient. Although only fair sensory recovery was achieved, due to complicated wound healing, the toe flap as a neurovascular graft carrier can be a treatment of choice for reconstructing complex finger palmar defects.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = nerve (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/78. Digital nerve repair by autogenous vein graft in high-velocity gunshot wounds.Gunshot wounds to the hands are high-energy injuries that cause widespread tissue damage, including to the nerves. Great difficulty is encountered in later reconstruction with nerve grafting of gaps in these destructive and scarred wounds. We present our experience with three patients with digital nerve repair by autogenous vein graft performed at an early stage in this type of injury. Based on our experience and that of others, this simple and rapid technique suggests a high rate of satisfactory results. It also avoids extensive and destructive late dissection and the morbidity associated with other late reconstructive procedures.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 7keywords = nerve (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/78. Extensor digiti minimi tendon "rerouting" transfer in permanent abduction of the little finger.Permanent abduction of the little finger is a bothersome deformity which usually occurs in the context of sequelae of ulnar nerve palsy (Wartenberg's sign), but also in rheumatoid arthritis. The authors report an original technique for correction of this deformity. The extensor digiti minimi tendon is sectioned at its distal insertion and transferred in the wrist through the extensor retinaculum. The "rerouted" tendon is finally resutured distally on the radial aspect of the interosseous muscle. Side-to-side suture of the transferred tendon to the extensor digitorum tendon of the little finger further reinforces the solidity of the procedure. The distal insertion of the extensor digiti minimi tendon is consequently radialized. Its new direction eliminates the abduction component, and the tendon then behaves as an active adductor of the little finger. Five cases (2 cases of ulnar nerve palsy, 3 cases of rheumatoid arthritis) are reported with a mean follow-up of 19 months. All patients have complete active adduction of the little finger in extension, with a persistent capacity for abduction. The other correction techniques published in the literature are discussed.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 2keywords = nerve (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/78. A modified reversed digital island flap incorporating the proper digital nerve.A standard reversed digital artery flap is based on the digital artery and vena comitantes alone, leaving the proper digital nerve intact. In the authors' opinion, in situations in which the fingertip pulp is lost completely, it is unnecessary to leave the nerve in situ. Using their technique, the proper digital nerve is included in the pedicle. The pedicle is raised as a monobloc of fatty tissue containing the small veins important for drainage. The proper digital nerve in the flap is sutured to the stump of the opposite proper digital nerve. They found this flap to be very reliable, and quite easy and quick to raise. A patient is presented and discussed in detail.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 9keywords = nerve (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/78. A reverse ulnar hypothenar flap for finger reconstruction.A reverse-flow island flap from the hypothenar eminence of the hand was applied in 11 patients to treat palmar skin defects, amputation injuries, or flexion contractures of the little finger. There were three female and eight male patients, and their ages at the time of surgery averaged 46 years. A 3 x 1.5 to 5 X 2 cm fasciocutaneous flap from the ulnar aspect of the hypothenar eminence, which was located over the abductor digiti minimi muscle, was designed and transferred in a retrograde fashion to cover the skin and soft-tissue defects of the little finger. The flap was based on the ulnar palmar digital artery of the little finger and in three patients was sensated by the dorsal branch of the ulnar nerve or by branches of the ulnar palmar digital nerve of the little finger. Follow-up periods averaged 42 months. The postoperative course was uneventful for all patients, and all of the flaps survived without complications. The donor site was closed primarily in all cases, and no patient complained of significant donor-site problems. Satisfactory sensory reinnervation was achieved in patients who underwent sensory flap transfer, as indicated by 5 mm of moving two-point discrimination. A reverse island flap from the hypothenar eminence is easily elevated, contains durable fasciocutaneous structures, and has a good color and texture match to the finger pulp. This flap is a good alternative for reconstruction of palmar skin and soft-tissue defects of the little finger.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 2keywords = nerve (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/78. A new strategy of fingertip reattachment: sequential use of microsurgical technique and pocketing of composite graft.Many methods have been used to reattach amputated fingertips. Of these methods, microsurgery has been accepted as the procedure of choice because the defining characteristic of a microsurgically replanted finger is that its surival in the recipient bed is predicated on functioning intravascular circulation. Although considerable progress has been made in the techniques for microvascular replantation of amputated fingers, the replantation of an amputated fingertip is difficult because digital arteries branch into small arteries. This is in addition to digital veins that run from both sides of the nail bed to the median dorsal sides, which are difficult to separate from the immobile soft tissue. Furthermore, even with the most technically skilled microsurgeon, replantation failure often occurs, especially in severe injury cases. Therefore, the technique is not the only protection against failure, and a new strategy of fingertip reattachment is needed. From March of 1997 to December of 1999, 12 fingers of 11 patients with zone 1 or zone 2 fingertip amputations that were reattached microsurgically but were compromised were deepithelialized, reattached, and then inserted into the abdominal pocket. All had been complete amputations with crushing injuries. Approximately 3 weeks later, the fingers were depocketed and covered with a skin graft. Of the 12 fingers, 7 survived completely and 3 had partial necrosis on less than one-third the volume of the amputated part. The complete survival rate was approximately 58 percent. The results of the above 10 fingers were satisfactory from both functional and cosmetic aspects. The authors believe that this high success rate was achieved because the deepithelialized finger pulp was placed in direct contact with the deep abdominal fascia, which was equipped with plentiful vascularity, not subcutaneous fat. In addition, the pocketing was performed promptly before necrosis of the compromised fingertip occurred. From the results of this study, it is clear that this new method is useful and can raise the survival rate of an amputated fingertip.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.14963746074778keywords = median (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/78. Reversed dorsal digital and metacarpal island flaps supplied by the dorsal cutaneous branches of the palmar digital artery.The dorsal digital and metacarpal island flaps have been described for use in a variety of clinical situations. On the basis of the authors' previous angiographic studies, these two skin flaps were planned on the dorsum of the proximal phalanx or intermetacarpal space based on the vascular anastomoses between the proximal dorsal cutaneous branches of the palmar digital artery and the dorsal digital branches of the dorsal metacarpal artery at the level of the proximal phalanx. The authors present a series of 13 patients using these flaps. To reconstruct the injured finger pulp, the reverse dorsal digital flap was used in 5 patients, and the reverse dorsal metacarpal flap was used in 8 patients. Most of the 13 patients sustained a work-related injury. Associated injuries of bone, joint, or tendon occurred in most patients. In all patients, the skin defect was located distal to the proximal interphalangeal joint. The skin paddle was taken from the dorsal aspect of the middle and ring fingers or the first, second, third, and fourth metacarpal area. All flaps survived completely. Two patients who had the dorsal branch of the sensitive radial nerve anastomosed to the digital nerve recovered 6-mm two-point discrimination in the reverse dorsal digital flap. The results of this anatomic study and the authors' clinical experience confirm the reliability of the dorsal digital and metacarpal island flaps.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 2keywords = nerve (Clic here for more details about this article) |
8/78. Fingertip replantation at or distal to the nail base: use of the technique of artery-only anastomosis.The authors describe the functional and aesthetic results of microsurgical replantation of 21 fingertip amputations at or distal to the nail base-namely, zone I amputations. There were 15 male and 6 female patients, with an average age of 26 years (age range, 1-41 years). Replantations were performed using the anastomosis of the artery-only technique, with neither vein nor nerve repair. Venous drainage was provided by an external bleeding method with a fish-mouth incision in "distal" zone I amputations for approximately 7 days, and by the use of leeches in more "proximal" zone I amputations for 10 to 12 days. Results indicated that the overall survival rate was 76%, with 16 of 21 digits surviving. Sensory evaluation at an average follow-up of 12 months (range, 6-18 months) revealed an average static two-point discrimination of 6.1 mm (range, 2.0-8.0 mm). Considering the unfavorable results and the donor site morbidity of various fingertip reconstructions, a microsurgical fingertip replantation should always be considered except in extremely distal, clean-cut, pediatric cases, in which case a composite graft is a possibility. The results of this series indicate that an amputated fingertip in zone I can be salvaged successfully by microvascular anastomosis of the artery only, with a nonmicrosurgical method of venous drainage. Furthermore, acceptable sensory recovery can be expected without any nerve coaptation.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 2keywords = nerve (Clic here for more details about this article) |
9/78. Clinical application of the reversed pedicled venous flap containing perivenous areolar tissue and/or nerve in the hand.A reversed pedicled venous flap containing perivenous areolar tissue and/or nerve was used to cover traumatic skin defects of seven fingers in six patients. The series consisted of six men, ranging in age from 20 to 57 years (average: 39 years). The reconstructed sites were four dorsal skin defects and three volar skin defects of the finger. The flap was designed on the dorsum of the hand, in such a way as to place a vein at the centre of the flap and not to involve the dorsal metacarpal artery. The flap contained a dorsal vein, perivenous areolar tissue and fascia of the interosseous muscle. Cutaneous nerves were present in three of the seven flaps. The pedicle of the flap was dissected distally to the finger web space and the flap was transferred to the skin defect. The size of the flap ranged from 1.4x4.5 cm to 6.0x7.0 cm. The average length of the pedicle was 1.6 cm. skin grafting was needed at the donor site in one case (flap size: 6.0x7.0 cm), but primary closure was possible in the remaining cases. Postoperatively, the largest flap showed superficial necrosis, although it survived. The remaining flaps survived completely. This suggests that in a large flap the skin should be attached to the pedicle to prevent congestion. The flap can be elevated without reference to the dorsal metacarpal artery at the ulnar side of the dorsum of the hand. The flap is an effective option to reconstruct skin defects of the finger, especially the little finger.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 6keywords = nerve (Clic here for more details about this article) |
10/78. Treadmill injuries to the upper extremity in pediatric patients.Injury is the leading cause of preventable death and disability in childhood and early adulthood. Approximately 25,000 children are injured on exercise equipment each year. Although hand injuries sustained on stationary bicycles in the home have been well documented, little has been reported on home treadmill injuries. Between September 1996 and March 2000, the authors treated 12 children at The Children's Hospital of philadelphia for injuries to the upper extremity sustained on a treadmill. The age at the time of injury ranged from 14 months to 7 years, with a median age of 2.4 years. Average length of follow-up was 11.4 months. Ten of the 12 children sustained partial- or full-thickness burns to the volar aspect of the hand and digits. overall, 6 patients required surgical repair. A total of 25% of the volar flexion creases involved required surgery. All patients had good functional results. The authors discuss the mechanism of injury, management, and measures to prevent treadmill injuries to children. To their knowledge, this is the first report of such injuries resulting from the use of a treadmill.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.14963746074778keywords = median (Clic here for more details about this article) |
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