Medial Plantar Venous Flap: Classic Donor Site Modification for Hand Defects

Various Free Flap Reconstruction Techniques after Hand and Foot Melanonychia Ablation: A Case Series

(1) Purpose: The management of melanonychia is highly controversial. With growing melanonychia, in case of doubt, the entire lesion should be examined. It may appear similar to nail melanoma or may turn into melanoma. Here, we present surgical cases of nail bed total removal and free flap reconstruction. (2) Methods: Between 1 January 2020 and 31 December 2022, eleven patients were operated on for growing melanonychia, involving the hand and foot. After complete resection of the nail root and plate, immediate reconstruction was performed using a fasciocutaneous free flap. The authors describe the procedures in detail with a few illustrations and clinical photographs depicting the techniques. (3) Results: All patients underwent complete nail unit removal around the anatomic boundaries of the nail. Histology showed a nevus and no malignancy in all cases. We used three onychocutaneous flaps, three hypothenar flaps and five venous flaps. All flaps survived, with one case of partial necrosis which spontaneously healed with secondary intention. In the follow-up periods, there was no recurrence or nail regrowth. (4) Conclusions: These free flap techniques are very useful for total nail bed defect reconstruction after melanonychia lesion total ablation.

[Repairing large skin defect of hand with modified dorsal metacarpal artery reverse island flap]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the effectiveness of modified dorsal metacarpal artery reverse island flap based on two adjacent recurrent branches of dorsal metacarpal arteries in repairing large skin defect of the hand.

METHODS

Between September 2017 and March 2021, 15 cases of large skin defect of the hand were treated. There were 11 males and 4 females with an average age of 42 years (range, 24-66 years). The injury causes included machine twist injury in 6 cases, pound injury in 5 cases, and crush injury in 4 cases. The injured parts included 6 cases of finger skin defect and 9 cases of distal skin defect of palm and dorsum of hand, all of which had tendon, joint, and bone exposure. The interval from injury to operation ranged from 2 to 6 hours (mean, 4 hours). The defect sizes after thorough debridement ranged from 3.5 cm×3.0 cm to 8.0 cm×4.5 cm. The modified dorsal metacarpal artery reverse island flap with a range of 3.8 cm×3.3 cm to 9.0 cm×5.0 cm was used to repair the defect, and the flap donor site was repaired with full-thickness skin graft.

RESULTS

All the flaps survived successfully after operation, and the wounds in the recipient site and the skin grafts in the donor site healed by first intention. All patients were followed up 9-24 months, with an average of 14 months. The appearance of the flap was good, and its texture and color were similar to those of the surrounding normal tissue. There was no obvious scar contracture, depression, and pigmentation in the donor site. At last follow-up, the static two-point discrimination of the flap was 8-20 mm, with an average of 13.6 mm. According to the Michigan Hand Outcome Questionnaire, 5 patients were very satisfied with the appearance of the flap, and 10 patients were satisfied.

CONCLUSION

The modified dorsal metacarpal artery reverse island flap based on two adjacent recurrent branches of dorsal metacarpal arteries has reliable blood supply, larger harvested area, simple procedure, and minimal donor site damage, which is suitable for emergency repair of large skin defect of the hand.

One-stage coverage of multi-digital pulp defects with sensate flaps from the foot

BACKGROUND

The reconstruction of the digital pulp defects was a mix of the sensation, function, and aesthetics. As the conventional flaps became out of date, the sensate flaps were increasingly utilized in covering such defects. In this report, we present our experience with some novel flaps design, located on the foot.

METHOD

From April 2015 to September 2018, nine patients received the free sensate flaps to resurface soft tissue defects in the multi-digital pulps. And all flaps were harvested from each aspect of the foot, which dimensions were tailored to the defects. The cutaneous nerve was preserved within the flap. Standardized assessment of outcome in terms of sensory, functional, and esthetic scores of the reconstructed pulps was completed.

RESULTS

Nineteen flaps survived completely without significant complications, and mild venous congestion was observed in one flap. The free sensate flaps were performed for digital pulp reconstruction in 9 patients: 6 male and 3 female patients with a mean age of 49 years (ranged, 16 to 72 years). The defects involved 3 thumbs, 6 index fingers, 5 long fingers, 3 ring fingers, and 2 little fingers. All flaps were available for a mean follow-up of 30 months (ranged, 24 to 36 months). The functional and esthetic outcomes were satisfied for all flaps, as well as the sensory restoration.

CONCLUSION

The sensate flap from the foot is a remarkable alternative for digital pulp reconstruction with less morbidity and better outcomes. Furthermore, the foot region presents a sensitive, glabrous skin with the proper bulkiness and allows for easy dissection.

Role of Arterial Perfusion in Early Survival of Arterialized Venous Flaps: A Mechanism Study and Clinical Application

BACKGROUND

The arterialized venous flap (AVF) is appropriate as a flap for hand and foot resurfacing meet the aesthetic demands in the same time. However, the inconsistency of survival rate limited its popularization in clinical settings. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role played by the caliber and location of the artery.

METHODS

Arterialized venous flaps were designed on the abdomen of New Zealand rabbits, and the animals were randomized into 3 groups and 2 groups in experiment 1 and 2, respectively. In experiment 1, the artery flow was restricted with vascular staplers of different calibers. In experiment 2, the artery was anastomosed with the afferent vein in the center or at the margin of the flap. Blood perfusion state, water content, epidermal metabolite levels, and flap survival status were observed in both experiments. Furthermore, outcomes of 12 patients received AVF to resurface soft tissue defects in the digits, hands, and feet between January 2016 and February 2018 were analyzed.

RESULTS

In experiment 1, compared with the control group, groups with restricted artery showed poor results regarding blood perfusion state, water content, epidermal metabolite levels, and flap survival status. In experiment 2, group with the afferent vein in the center of the flap showed better results mentioned previously. All the flaps survived uneventfully in this study. Two flaps partially failed (20% of the flap area) because of insufficient perfusion. Generally, larger caliber and center-located vein helped the survival of AVF.

CONCLUSIONS

Experimental findings suggested that increased arterial perfusion and center-located vein are beneficial for the survival of AVF. Clinical series proved the findings previously. The problem of inconsistency of AVF can be partially solved by increasing arterial perfusion and dissecting afferent vein into the center of flap, and still, further studies are needed to shed light on the mechanism behind.