Soft tissue reconstruction of the thumb: Classification of defects and standardisation of treatment

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this article is to share our experience of thumb defects based on the defect irrespective of the etiology of the defect and to work towards standardizing the treatment for thumb defects. Methodology: This study was conducted at the Burns and plastic surgery center at Hayatabad Medical complex from 2018 to 2021. Thumb defects were divided into small (< 3 cm), medium (4-8cm) and large defects (> 9cm). Post-operatively, patients were evaluated for complications. The type of flaps were stratified for size and site of the soft tissue defects to generate a standardized algorithm for thumb soft tissue reconstruction. Results: After scrutinizing the data, 35 patients qualified for the study, including 71.4% (25) males and 28.6% (10) females. The mean age was 31.17+15.8SD. Right thumb was affected in majority of the study population (57.1%). Majority of the study population was affected by machine injury and post-traumatic contractures, affecting 25.7% (n=9) and 22.9% (n=8) respectively. First web-space and injuries distal to IPJ of thumb were the most common areas affected, accounting for 28.6% (n=10) each. First dorsal metacarpal artery flap was the most common flap followed by retrograde posterior interosseous artery flap, observed in 11 (31.4%) and 6 (17.1%) cases. The most common complication observed in the study population was flap congestion (n=2, 5.7%) with a complete flap loss in 1 patient (2.9%) cases. Based on the cross tabulation of flaps against the size and location of defects, an algorithm was developed to help standardize reconstruction of thumb defects. Conclusion: Thumb reconstruction is critical in restoring hand function of the patient. The structured approach towards these defects make their assessment and reconstruction easy especially for novice surgeons. This algorithm can further be extended to include defects of the hand irrespective of etiology. Most of these defects can be covered with local easy to do flaps without the need for a microvascular reconstruction.