The free triple chimeric dorsalis pedis flaps for repair of multifinger soft tissue defects: a report of two cases.

Abstract

The reconstruction of complex hand injury such as multifinger soft tissue defect remains a challenging problem. Two cases of repair of multifinger injury with exposed bones using the free chimeric flaps based on the dorsalis pedis vessels are presented. Two male patients, 46 years old and 36 years old, suffered from a thermocompression injury to the dorsum of fingers resulting in soft tissue defects of multiple fingers. The chimeric free flap was designed and applied to cover the defects. The donor sites were covered by skin grafts. The postoperative courses were uneventful. Both patients were followed up for 10-12 months. The maximal flexion angle of the distal interphalangeal, proximal interphalangeal, and metacarpophalangeal joints were 40°-85° at the end of the follow-up. The protective sensation was achieved on the dorsal fingers. The report suggests that the free chimeric flaps based on the dorsalis pedis artery may be an alternative for the reconstruction of the multifinger dorsal soft tissue defects.