The dorsal metacarpal flap for secondary digital artery flap donor sites.

Abstract

The effective approach of the reverse digital artery flap for reconstruction of the distal phalanges, fingertips, and finger pulp is used widely in a clinical setting. However, the most potential problem is that digital artery flap donor sites cannot be closed primarily. We have used distally based dorsal metacarpal flaps to cover secondary digital artery flap donor sites in 12 patients. The use of adjacent tissue provided the best possible texture and color match for the dorsal half of the lateral side of the finger. This allowed aesthetically superior wound closure to that achieved by conventional methods employing skin grafts.