Reconstruction of Dorsal Finger Injury Using Arterialized Venous Flap Combined with Palmaris Longus Tendon

Abstract

Open lacerations of the extensor tendon are typically managed by debridement and tendon repair. Injuries involving the loss of a large amount of skin, soft tissue, and tendons may require skin coverage procedures with tendon grafts.
We performed reconstruction for severe dorsal finger injuries using an arterialized venous flap combined with the palmaris longus tendon. The clinical course and findings are reported.
This series included 10 fingers of 4 men and 2 women. The average age was 32.3 years, ranging from 19-65 years. The reconstructed sites were the DIP joint in 5 cases ( 6 fingers ), IP joint in 1 case, and PIP joint in 2 cases ( 4 fingers ).
One flap required a reoperation for congestion. All of the flaps survived. The average range of motion was 18.3º ( range 0 ∼ 40º) in the DIP joint, 84.3º ( range : 62 ∼ 105º) in the PIP joint, and 50°in the IP joint.
This flap technique is a useful alternative for severe dorsal finger injuries.