Thumb length preservation following soft tissue injuries.

Abstract

Six cases of major soft-tissue injuries to the mid or base of thumb are presented. In each case, pedicle reconstruction of the soft tissues was necessary in order to preserve thumb length. A variety of techniques was used, including distant tissues and local tissues. We have illustrated the superiority of local pedicles and cross-finger pedicles in thumb reconstruction and have emphasized the following points: 1) Preservation of thumb length is an important goal. 2) Conservation of the soft tissues in the initial management plays a key role in thumb reconstruction. 3) Local pedicles and cross-finger flaps have given better results than distant flaps, as evidenced by: a. better sensory capacity in the pedicle skin; b. more stable skin on the reconstructed thumb; c. less bulkiness of the pedicle skin; d. reconstruction is less time consuming.