Flag flap - Kite flap Dorsal metacarpal flap

Abstract

The flag flap is a pedicled dorsal digital flap, combining a skin paddle (the “flag”) and a vascular pedicle (the flag “pole”). Its vascularisation depends on the dorsal metacarpal arteries (DMCA). It has been described in 1963, by Holevitch [1] with harvest of a cutaneovascular pole; it has been brilliantly modified in 1979 by Foucher et al. [2–4] under the form of a unipedicled “kite” flap, although we would like to point out that Vilain has been using it since 1952 [5]. Usually harvested from the dorsum of the metacarpophalangeal region of the index finger, this flap is reliable, but it is more uncertain and less movable at the level of the other digits. Owing to its small size, it proves useful in hand traumatology because it does not sacrifice any major vascular axis. The kite flap is considered as a sensory flap (presence of a nerve supply) with a two-point discrimination, which can be assessed from 11 to 16 mm [1–6].