Reverse-flow posterior interosseous flap-a review of 68 cases

We are reporting our 10-year experience with 68 patients. Sixty-six flaps were of fasciocutaneous type and two were of osteofasciocutaneous type. These flaps were used for volar and dorsal traumatic hand defects, first web space reconstruction, thumb reconstruction, and repair of congenital anomalies. Sixty flaps (88.24%) had complete uneventful take-up. Four flaps developed partial necrosis, whereas four flaps suffered complete necrosis. The single most important factor for flap survival in our experience has been inclusion of at least two perforators to supply the skin pedal. The proximal flap dissection has a learning curve and all of our poor results were in the early part of our experience. We believe that posterior interosseous fasciocutaneous flap (PIF) is a versatile and reliable option for the challenging problems of hand soft-tissue coverage.