Reconstruction of Mutilating Hand with Pollicization and Anteromedial Thigh Perforator Free Flap: A Case Report

Lee, Hyunjic; Eo, Surak; Cho, Sanghun

Abstract

PURPOSE
Thumb reconstruction plays most important role in hand injuries because total loss of a thumb constitutes about 40% disability in the hand. The reconstruction can be accomplished by pollicization, free toe-to-thumb transfer, wrap around procedure and lengthening extraction. However, we sometimes need consecutive or double free flaps in the reconstruction of mutilating hand injuries.
METHODS
We reconstructed a mutilating hand injury in a 54-years old man. Because of severe crushing injury of right thumb and index fingers, we reconstructed a thumb with pollicization using nearly amputated middle finger. Although it survived completely, the adjacent soft tissues which had been covered by fillet flap from the space past was necrosed on 1 month. We debrided the necrotic tissues and covered it with anteromedial thigh perforator free flap consecutively because he had an anatomical variation in branches of lateral femoral circumflex artery.
RESULTS
He had an uneventful postoperative course without any complication such as infection, dehiscence and flap necrosis. Three months later, he had undergone tenolysis and defatting procedure of flap site. He recovered the some amount of grip function and was happy with the result.
CONCLUSIONS
In severe hand trauma including thumb amputation, thumb reconstruction using pollicization and perforator free flap could be an alternative option. It provides minimal donor site morbidity and an acceptable functional result.