[The pedicled groin flap for defect closure of the hand]

Soft-tissue defect closure of the volar and dorsal aspect of the hand and lower arm with a maximum defect size of 10 × 25 cm.

Soft-tissue defects of the entire palm and dorsum of the hand and lower arm with a maximum defect size of 10 × 25 cm.

Polytraumatized patients presenting with concomitant life-threatening injuries. In these cases one should perform the definite defect closure secondary after cardiovascular stabilization. Scars and vascular injury at the donor site. Lack of vascularity and necrosis of implantation site. Poorly vascularized recipient site (e.g. after radiation) Infection and necrosis at the donor and/or recipient site. Prior operations of the groin with impairment of the vasculature. Noncompliant patient.

Landmarks are the femoral artery, inguinal ligament, anterior superior iliac spine, and sartorius muscle. The superior and inferior border of the flap should be orientated parallel to the inguinal ligament. The longitudinal axis of the flap is parallel to the superficial circumflex iliac artery, which is partially located superior to the inguinal ligament. One third of the flap is located superior, and two thirds inferior, to the inguinal ligament. Flap dissection starts at the lateral border without including the fascia. Identification of the lateral border of the sartorius muscle, incision of its fascia and inclusion of the fascia into flap dissection in order to preserve the vessel. If a long flap pedicle is favored, flap dissection is continued to the source of the superficial circumflex iliac artery. Primary closure of the donor site and, finally, inset of the flap. A tubed pedicle protects the vessels and simplifies the ischemic preconditioning during the postoperative phase. According to the flap size, the donor site closure is either primary or split-thickness skin grafting is necessary at the lateral aspect of the donor site. The mean duration of the procedure is 120 min in a teaching hospital (own data).

The patient should be mobilized as early as possible. Dressings and flap monitoring should be performed daily. Ischemic preconditioning by applying a tourniquet starts after 10-14 days. The ischemic period is increased continuously from 3 × 5 min/d in the beginning to 3 × 1 h/d before flap dissection. Flap dissection of the pedicle is performed after 3 weeks. The residual donor site is closed, while the distal pedicle is left untrimmed and closed secondarily a few days later to allow for sufficient venous drainage. Finally, defect closure can be completed after demarcation of the pedicle.

In a 3-year period, defect closure with a pedicled groin flap was performed in 14 patients. Indications for this procedure were the following: thumb reconstruction for lengthening and defect closure after amputation and burn injury, soft-tissue reconstruction of the dorsum of the hand after decollement and infection, soft-tissue reconstruction of the distal part of the lower arm, wrist and palm after complex and combined trauma, and plastic reconstructive preservation of multiple fingers with subsequent phalangealization and syndactyly release, respectively. In all patients, complete soft-tissue coverage and flap survival could be achieved. The functional and aesthetic result was satisfactory in all cases.