Summary
Extended reverse dorsal metacarpal artery (RDMA) flaps use the skin from the dorsum
of the hand to cover defects of the long fingers up to the distal phalanx. The authors
present a series of 12 patients who underwent closure of defects of the long fingers
with these flaps. As relevant literature is scarce, special emphasis was put on donor
site morbidity. Active and passive total range of motion (TRM) and pinch grip strength
of the finger neighbouring the reconstructed one were evaluated and compared to the
corresponding finger of the contralateral hand. The donor site was furthermore evaluated
for cosmetic appearance and pain.
There was no statistically significant difference for active and passive TRM. The
difference for pinch grip reached statistical significance (p=0.04). Subjective evaluation of pain and cosmetic appearance by the patients revealed
a mean pain value of 1.25 on a visual analogue scale (0=no pain, 10=maximal imaginable pain) and a mean estimation of cosmetic appearance of 8 (visual
analogue scale, 0=worst cosmetic result, 10=best cosmetic result).
In conclusion, compared to other flaps, the extended RDMA flap is a fast, secure and
single-stage procedure for defect coverage on the long fingers with low donor site
morbidity.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: June 06, 2006
Accepted:
March 22,
2006
Received:
February 5,
2006
Identification
Copyright
© 2006 The British Association of Plastic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
