Serratus Anterior-Rib Flap for the Reconstruction of Complex Defects Involving the First Metacarpal

Abstract

The first digital ray is very important in the functional economy of the hand. Its absence or damage can diminish the functional ability of the hand up to 50%. That's why its reconstruction close to normal is mandatory. Sometimes, in case of missing bone associated with a soft tissue defect, complex reconstructive solutions become instrumental to achieve the

Serratus Anterior-rib Composite Flap Partial Thumb Reconstruction

“…Georgescu and colleagues describe a series of SR composite flaps for extremity reconstruction, including hand and digital reconstruction. 6 , 7 In a described case of thumb metacarpal reconstruction for a crush injury in a pediatric patient, 8 the authors attempted to preserve the proximal phalanx base, used the dorsal radial artery branch and cephalic vein for anastomosis, used EIP to EPL tendon transfer to restore thumb extension, and fixated the rib with a single K-wire. In their series, the authors reported an average time to bone union of 2 months postoperatively in the hand.…”