A NEW FLAP FROM THE DORSUM OF THE FIRST INTERMETACARPAL AREA - THE FIRST DORSAL INTERMETACARPAL FLAP

Soft-tissue reconstruction of the hand still remains a challenge for p lastic and reconstructive surgeons. Several flaps have been described to cover soft-tissue defects of the digits and the hand. In the first web region, there are some communications between the intermediate art ery arising from the dorsal blanch of tile radial artery and tile vola r arteries of the thumb and the index finger. Depending on these commu nications, a new distally based nap is raised fr om the first dorsal i ntermetacarpal area. This flap has been used to cover various defects of the thumb in four patients and tile distal radial side of the palma r area in one patient. Donor sites have been closed primarily except i n one patient. There were no complications, and the results show that this flap is useful to cover soft-tissue defects of the thumb and prox imal phalanx of the index finger as well as the radial side of the pal mar and dorsal surfaces of the hand.