D. Elliot et al., A COMPARISON OF REPLANTATION AND TERMINALIZATION AFTER DISTAL FINGER AMPUTATION, Journal of hand surgery. British volume, 22B(4), 1997, pp. 523-529
This study records the subjective opinion of 30 patients who sustained
a distal amputation of a single finger beyond the FDS tendon insertio
n which was treated by replantation, successfully or unsuccessfully, o
r by terminalization. All other patients who underwent replantation or
terminalization of a single distal finger amputation but also had oth
er injuries of the hand or fingers were excluded. Eleven patients had
successful replantation, nine in whom replantation was not possible or
was not successful had subsequent terminalization and ten had primary
terminalization without attempting replantation. Only seven of the pa
tients undergoing terminalization had further shortening of bone, the
remainder being treated with homodigital neurovascular advancement fla
ps. Replantation was favoured by patients for sensory and motor functi
onal reasons as well as for cosmetic reasons. Cold intolerance was les
s common in the successfully replanted fingers.