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Updated: May 25, 2026
Engineered Vascularized Muscle Flap
Published on: January 11, 2016
[V-U-shaped flaps for repairing soft tissue defect of fingertip]
Bo Zhang1, Mengyu Yang, Chengqun Luo
1Department of Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery, Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha Hunan 410013, PR China. toxiczb@sina.com
Objective:
To investigate the method and effectiveness of V-U-shaped flaps in repairing soft tissue defect of the fingertip.
Methods:
Between January 2006 and February 2011, 47 patients (55 fingers) with soft tissue defect of fingertip were treated by using the V-U-shaped flaps. There were 25 males and 22 females, aged 18 to 35 years (mean, 26 years). The injury was caused by cuts in 21 cases and avulsion in 26 cases. The time between injury and admission was 1 to 6 hours with an average of 2.6 hours. The injured fingers included thumb (18 fingers), index finger (10 fingers), middle finger (10 fingers), ring finger (9 fingers), and little finger (8 fingers). Forty-one fingers had skin avulsion of the distal interphalangeal joint with phalanx exposure, and 14 fingers had distal dactylopodite defect and second phalanx exposure. The size of wound ranged from 1.1 cm x 1.0 cm to 1.9 cm x 1.7 cm. The time between injury and first-stage operation was 2 to 7 hours with an average of 5 hours. In the first-stage operation, the pedicled flap was used to repair the defect of dactylopodite. Then at 3 weeks after the first-stage operation, one U-shaped flap and two V-shaped flaps were prepared to cover defect of the fingertips in the second-stage operation.
Results:
At 2 days after the second-stage operation, congestion and blisters occurred in 5 fingers, and were improved after symptomatic treatment. The other flaps survived, and wounds healed by first intention. Incisions at the donor site healed primarily. After the second-stage operation, 42 cases (50 fingers) were followed up 6 to 12 months (mean, 8.9 months). The appearance, texture, and color of the flaps were similar to normal skin. Injured fingers had tactile, pain, and thalposis, and the two point discrimination was 5-8 mm. At last follow-up, according to the functional assessment standards by the Chinese Medical Association Society of Hand Surgery of the upper limbs, the results were excellent in 46 fingers and good in 4 fingers.
Conclusion:
V-U-shaped flaps can be considered as an ideal method to repair soft tissue defect of the fingertip because of good appearance and function recovery.