Recovery of sensitivity in the hand after reconstruction with arterialised venous flaps

Loss of soft tissues of the fingers were repaired in 22 patients using 25 arterialised venous flaps harvested from the thenar, hypothenar, or forearm regions. Twenty-one of the flaps survived completely, 16 of which were raised from the thenar or hypothenar region, and the other five from the forearm region. We studied the sensory recovery and skin characteristics of the flaps harvested from the three regions. Good sensory recovery was obtained for the thenar or hypothenar venous flaps, which were characterised by durable skin and suitable texture for replacement of defects in the finger pulp. On the other hand, no moving two-point discrimination was recorded during the follow-up period in the group given forearm venous flaps. These flaps showed instability during pinching and grasping. However, larger flaps and longer veins can be harvested from the forearm region. This type of flap is therefore considered useful for covering dorsal defects of the finger or large and multiple skin defects.