Analysis of the Survival of Arterialized Venous Toenail Flaps with Reference to Changes in Blood Circulation during the Postoperative Period in 2 Patients

Abstract

Various techniques for nail reconstruction have been reported until now; however, a simple one providing good esthetic results was difficult to find. Arterialized venous toenail flap is a free flap that includes the nail bed and matrix with a pedicle formed solely by the subcutaneous vein of the toe. The use of this flap is minimally invasive, easy, and the flap has a high survival rate. The mechanism of graft survival remains unknown given the non-physiological circulation. To the best of our knowledge, no studies have explained this mechanism with reference to detailed postoperative course. We herein present two cases of nail reconstruction performed using arterialized venous toenail flap. We analyzed the postoperative course in detail, which enabled us to postulate on the mechanism of graft survival.