Nine patients underwent Ilizarov distraction-lengthening for congenital anomalies. All were late cases and had undergone other procedures. In five radial club hand patients with very short forearms, we achieved an average 5.8 cm increase in length with each distraction cycle. In two patients with symbrachydactyly of the cleft hand type, we achieved pinch grip between a radial and an ulnar digit by lengthening the short ray. Another case of the monodactyly type in which we tried to lengthen three transplanted proximal toe phalanges ended in failure. A soft tissue distraction was attempted in a case of camptodactyly but failed. We report the problems we encountered and suggest some solutions.

Between 1993 and 1998, 12 distally based dorsal metacarpal artery flaps were used to cover defects of the fingers and palm. All flaps were raised from the dorsum of the hand. Eleven flaps allowed direct closure of the donor site area; one case required a full-thickness skin graft. Nine flaps healed uneventfully. Distal marginal flap necrosis occurred in three cases. All of these were used to cover defects at the distal part of the middle phalanx.

Infections of the flexor tendon sheath are rare. We report on 49 patients who were treated in a five-year period from 1996 to 2000. The follow-up period was 45 months on average. We used an extensive skin incision for revision and regularly placed gentamycin-PMMA-chains in the wound. All patients were treated as inpatients. We achieved good and excellent results in 85% of patients.

Because of the capability of opposition, the thumb is the most important digit of the hand. In case of deep soft-tissue defects of the pulp, it is necessary to reconstruct the palmar surface of the distal phalanx of the thumb using tissue with good sensibility. Between 1982 and 1998 at the Department of Hand Surgery, Plastic and Microsurgery of the Berufsgenossenschaftliche Unfallkrankenhaus Hamburg, we used a free toe pulp neurovascular flap for reconstruction of the pulp of the thumb in nine patients. All flaps healed without complications. Indications, operative techniques, and results of this procedure are described.

Different evaluation scores have been developed in order to assess treatment outcome of carpal injuries. The available scores are not comparable and differ in type and number of parameters. This is a retrospective study of 100 patients who presented with a fracture or a pseudarthrosis of the scaphoid from 1983 to 1997. The Cooney and the Meine scores were compared with our own score. While the Cooney score and the newly developed score show an equal distribution of results in all categories, the score of Meine led to an overall better outcome assessment. The comparative evaluation of the different scores shows that the combination of only a few well defined parameters is sufficient for assessing the treatment outcome of carpal injuries.