Donor finger morbidity in cross-finger flaps

We reviewed 16 patients who had cross-finger flap procedures carried out between 1991 and 1996 at the West Midlands Regional centre for Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. We looked specifically at the donor finger morbidity of each patient with a median follow up interval of 43 months.At follow up there were 10 patients with cold intolerance, eight patients with subjective joint stiffness and a documented reduced range of finger joint movement. Skin graft reconstruction of the secondary defect was associated with poor colour match in eight cases (seven hyperpigmented, one hypopigmented) and visible contour deformity in eight cases. There were no clinically significant differences between split skin graft or full thickness skin graft for donor finger reconstruction. Although cross-finger flaps may provide soft tissue cover in a variety of finger pulp injuries, these results show an alarming incidence of donor finger morbidity associated with such procedures.