Thin flaps in the management of hand and upper limb defects

Cutaneous defect of the hand and the upper limb expose the underlying anatomical structures. The reconstruction therefore often resorts to flaps. The ideal flap must be thin and flexible, allowing a good resurfacing and a satisfactory functional result. The objective of this study is to analyze the various thinned flaps, to reveal their advantages and to underline their limits. We presented a literature review on the various techniques of thin skin flaps developed over the last 20 years, bringing together 18 articles, and including 225 patients. For 3 articles, the skin flaps were thinned down by preliminary expansion and for the 15 others they were surgically thinned during the harvesting of the flap. Thinning the flap seems to be an interesting surgical alternative in the management of cutaneous defect of the hand and the upper limb, but it would be interesting to be able to compare the results of these thin flaps to those of the conventional ones. This study also led us to propose a classification of thin flaps according to their thickness in order to clarify the terminology.