[Microsurgical nail reconstruction with free short-pedicle vascularized nail flap: about 13 cases]

This study was performed to review our 24-year experience in nail reconstruction with special attention to surgical technique, outcomes and cosmesis. A retrospective chart review of 13 toenail complexes transfers alone over a 24-year period was performed. The patients, nine men and four women, had an average age of 20 years (range, 2 to 38 years) at the time of surgery. Etiologies were trauma in 10 cases and tumor in three cases. The mean follow-up time was 13 years (range, 2 to 23 years). One nail flap necrosis occurred after surgery accounting for a complication rate of 8 %. Regarding nail cosmetic, the mean Foucher score was 15.4 points. Though nail reconstruction has been sometimes associated with complications and low cosmetic improvements, this study showed how microsurgery is able to reduce trauma issues.