The use of the dorsal metacarpal artery for reconstruction of distal dorsal finger defects: an anatomic study and clinical experience

Abstract

Purpose: Dorsal metacarpal artery (DMA) flaps have been used successfully for distal dorsal finger defects. Some studies have reported inconsistent DMA anatomy, and there have been no studies on the anatomic variation of DMAs in Asian cadavers. Therefore, we evaluated the anatomy of DMA using Korean fresh cadavers and reported the clinical outcomes of the DMA flaps.Methods: In the cadaver study, four human forearms from adult fresh cadavers were dissected. The dorsal metacarpal arteries and their communicating branches were identified. From July 2016 to June 2019, five patients with dorsal finger defects underwent a first DMA (FDMA) flap or a reversed DMA (RDMA) flap.Results: In our cadaver study, the ulnar branch of the FDMA and the second and third DMAs were absent in two of four (50%) of the cadavers. In our case series, five flaps survived, and one had partial necrosis, which healed by the second intention. The mean operation time was approximately 100 minutes, and the mean outpatient follow-up period was 6 months.Conclusion: DMA flaps are a reliable flap for the reconstruction of relatively large soft tissue defects of the dorsal finger. However, in our anatomical study, inconsistency of the anatomy of DMAs was identified. Therefore, preoperative Doppler examination is required to evaluate the anatomy of the DMA before considering the use of DMA flaps.