An essential element in the surgical rehabilitation of an the injured thumb and index finger is the restoration of tactile sensation or tactile gnosis.
If restoration of tactile sensation is required, an innervated neurovascular island flap can be advanced directly or transposed, but this technique is accompanied with the sensory loss of the donor digit.
In less critical sensation areas of fingers, if a local rotation flap cannot be mobilized adequately, such as the dorsum of the hand digit, interdigital web space, and palm, an arterial island flap transferred from the lateral surface of a nearby digit. This technique minimizes the sensory loss of the donor digit and eliminates cortical reeducation at the recipient site.
1) Since Mar. 1986 to Dec. 1989, We performed digital neurovascular island flap transfer in 20 cases, among which, 12 cases were followed up for more than one yeat.
The operation was performed for the reconstruction of the thumb in 14 cases, index in 6 cases.
2) We performed a digital arterial island flap transfer in 5 cases
first web space, hypothenar and proximal phalangeal joint area of middle finger in dorsal aspect.
3) In a relatively large defect of volar aspect of the thumb, we had performed digital arterial and digital neurovascular island flaps, which was nourished by the common digital artery
4) In the case performed digital neurovascular island flap, Recovery of protective sensation and two point discrimination at the recipient site were good, but reorientation was poor.
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