a reliable and useful flap for repair defects of the hand fingers: reverse flow dorsal metakarpal artery pediculled flaps

Reverse flow dorsal metacarpal artery pediculled flap is one of the easily apllicable and useful flap alternatives which are used for closing the defects of the hand fingers. The aim of this study is evaluate complications and outcomes of finger defects repairing with reverse flow dorsal metacarpal artery pediculled flap. From 1999 till 2009 we applied this technique for repairing fingers’ defects in totally of 15 patients. 5 of them represent after electric burn injury, 4 after endustrial trauma, 4 after excision of squamous cell carsinoma ( SCC ) and 2 after contracture opening procedure. Nine of them were male and 6 female with mean age of 39. Most of used arteries were 2nd or 3rd dorsal metacarpal. Follow ups for these patients lasted around 30 month (11 - 45 month). In 2 patients flaps were lost due to inappropriate pedicle rotation and after the debridement of the flaps, the defects were repaired with “cross-finger” flaps. Reverse flow dorsal metacarpal flap which does not damage the major arterial system of the hand and is easily applicable and useful technique, has good skin color and tissue compatibility, and can be used for fingers’ defects repairing. [Cukurova Med J 2011; 36(1): 1-7]