Outcomes of Coverage of Soft Tissue Defects in the Thumb with a “Kite Flap”

Abstract

Deep soft tissue injuries and defects in the digits such as pulp amputation and degloving injuries are relatively frequent in hand surgical practice. Injuries around the thumb constitute a specific subtype, because their fitting requires the use of techniques that are different from standard. Many different surgical options have been described for the treatment of these serious lesions, depending on site and size of the defect, as well as on bone exposition. The “kite flap” is one of the most popular and frequently used. Results of the treatment of 14 of the 22 patients whose defects in the thumb were fitted with the kite flap are presented. The flaps healed in all patients. At the mean follow-up of 3 years all patients declared satisfaction with the result of surgery. Most of them had slightly limited mobility of the operated thumbs but with no significant translation to the function of the hands, which was very good. The results of this study show that the kite flap is useful in reconstruction of soft tissue defects around the thumb, which are difficult to cover by more conventional techniques