V-M plasty and double Z-plasty: two versatile flaps for treatment of postburn syndactyly

The release of postburn contractures in the hand is one of the most commonly performed procedures in burn injuries. Various local flaps have been described for release of severe postburn contractures. As the largest burn center covering north and northwest of Iran, we always needed acceptable reliable methods to reconstruct postburn syndactyly and make it as a standard treatment. We used double Z-plasties for the first web in severe contractures (23 patients) and V-M plasties for the second, third, and fourth webs and minor first web contractures (V for the dorsal aspect and M for the volar aspect of the webs). A total of 50 patients from September 2005 to June 2007 with 130 web contractures were operated. Their age ranged from 1 to 75 years. In a 1-year follow-up, all of the patients had good mobility of the fingers with no recurrence. Three cases of necrosis of tip of Z-plasties and 2 cases of necrosis of tip of V-M plasties occurred which were under 3 mm and resolved gradually. Double Z-plasty in first web and V-M plasty in second to fourth webs are considered good choices for release and reconstruction of postburn syndactyly. They are straightforward in technique and can be carried out with little complications.