Repair of muscle and musculotendinous junction injuries with an autogenousfascial patch

We have used an autogenous fascia lata patch to repair muscle and musculote ndinous junction injuries affecting 99 individual muscles in 23 patients wi th multiple incised wounds to the upper limbs. All patients were followed u p for at least 2 years. Two patients with severe dystrophic changes followi ng nerve injuries were excluded from the final analysis. Satisfactory grip strength was restored 6 months following the repair in 19 of the 21 patient s we evaluated. Complete active and passive range of wrist and digital moti on was seen in 18 of these 21 patients. Tightness of the flexor pollicis lo ngus was seen in 2 patients, one of whom had a deformity of the interphalan geal joint of the thumb that was passively stretched and subsequently reduc ed. Scar adhesions were noted in 4 other patients, but this did not affect wrist or finger motion, except in one. The autogenous fascial patch repair technique provides strong and good apposition of muscle fibres simply by di stributing the force and tension over a large area of the muscle, thereby a llowing early mobilization and functional restoration of the extremity.