E Rob, Th Druel, Th Jalaguier, A Walch, A Gazarian (Fort de France, Lyon)
Distal digital amputations with bone exposure need a coverage procedure to limit shortening. We reported the long term patient reported outcomes of finger tip coverage with homodigital neurovascular island flap for distal phalanx pulp loss in long fingers for 20 patients at a mean follow-up of 8.1 years.
Finger self-subjective global evaluation was 7.3/10 (SD 2.3) points. Missing points were in order related to cold intolerance, aesthetics, stiffness, and dysesthesias. At the last follow-up, compared to the contralateral side, superficial and discriminative sensibility were significantly decreased. Grip strength was 91% and pollici-digital strength 79% of the contralateral side. Stiffness was present for more than half of the cases. Symptomatic cold intolerance was reported for 38% of the patients. This flap is reliable for covering distal digital substance losses. However, it is demanding to perform and requires specialized rehabilitation.