Crossed Finger Flap
- Soft Tissue Replacement in the Hand
- Finger Tip Injuries
- crossed finger flaps can be used to cover finger tip injuries w/ excessive loss of volar pulp tissue;
- rectangular flap is raised from 3 sides of the dorsal surface of middle phalanx of the adjacent finger;
- typically the flap is based on the lateral side of the adjacent digit, but the flap can also bebased proximally (in order to raise a flap from
the thumb to the radial side of the index finger);
- flap is harvested thru the subcutaneous tissue and down to (but not thru the underlying epitenon);
- by cutting Cleland's ligament, the flap will extend 20% longer;
- flap is swung outward on its hinge and is sutured in place;
- full thickness graft is sutured to the hinge of the primary defect;
- flap is divided within two weeks, in order to avoid finger stiffness
The cross-finger flap. An established reconstructive procedure.
An innervated cross-finger flap for fingertip reconstruction.
Original Text by Clifford R. Wheeless, III, MD.
Last updated by Data Trace Staff on Tuesday, May 22, 2012 3:26 pm