TY - JOUR
T1 - Reconstruction of Digital Defects with the Free Proximal Ulnar Artery Perforator Flap
AU - Troisi, Luigi
AU - Zanchetta, Francesco
AU - Berner, Juan Enrique
AU - Mosillo, Giuseppe
AU - Pajardi, Giorgio Eugenio
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 The Authors. Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. on behalf of The American Society of Plastic Surgeons. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives License 4.0 (CCBY-NC-ND), where it is permissible to download and share the work provided it is properly cited. The work cannot be changed in any way or used commercially without permission from the journal.
PY - 2022/1/27
Y1 - 2022/1/27
N2 - Background: The aim of post-traumatic digital reconstruction is to restore form and function, allowing early rehabilitation. In the absence of feasible local options, free tissue transfer can be a versatile and reliable alternative. The aim of this study was to describe our experience with the use of the free proximal ulnar artery perforator flap (PUPF). Methods: Our prospectively maintained free flap database was inquired for patients that had undergone digital reconstructions with free PUPFs. Results: Six patients that underwent digital reconstruction were eligible. The ipsilateral forearm was donor site of choice, with all flaps based on a perforator of the ulnar artery, without the need to compromise the main vessel. A superficial vein was routinely included with the flap. No flap failures were encountered. Mean hospital stay was 5.5 days, and all patients achieved a satisfactory functional result. Conclusions: The proximal ulnar perforator free flap offers an alternative for finger reconstruction, having the advantage of including thin and hairless skin from the proximal ulnar forearm. The vascular anatomy of the ulnar perforators seems to be constant. Furthermore, donor site morbidity is low, as the ulnar artery is not harvested with the flap, the donor site defect can generally be closed directly, and the scar is well concealed.
AB - Background: The aim of post-traumatic digital reconstruction is to restore form and function, allowing early rehabilitation. In the absence of feasible local options, free tissue transfer can be a versatile and reliable alternative. The aim of this study was to describe our experience with the use of the free proximal ulnar artery perforator flap (PUPF). Methods: Our prospectively maintained free flap database was inquired for patients that had undergone digital reconstructions with free PUPFs. Results: Six patients that underwent digital reconstruction were eligible. The ipsilateral forearm was donor site of choice, with all flaps based on a perforator of the ulnar artery, without the need to compromise the main vessel. A superficial vein was routinely included with the flap. No flap failures were encountered. Mean hospital stay was 5.5 days, and all patients achieved a satisfactory functional result. Conclusions: The proximal ulnar perforator free flap offers an alternative for finger reconstruction, having the advantage of including thin and hairless skin from the proximal ulnar forearm. The vascular anatomy of the ulnar perforators seems to be constant. Furthermore, donor site morbidity is low, as the ulnar artery is not harvested with the flap, the donor site defect can generally be closed directly, and the scar is well concealed.
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U2 - 10.1097/GOX.0000000000004054
DO - 10.1097/GOX.0000000000004054
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85124179101
SN - 2169-7574
VL - 10
SP - E4054
JO - Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery - Global Open
JF - Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery - Global Open
IS - 1
ER -