title: Free flap coverage of the hand.
abstract: Microvascular free tissue transfer has been a major advancement in the treatment of soft-tissue defects of the hand. Free tissue transfers have expanded our options and have altered our approach to hand defects. It is no longer satisfactory to cover hand wounds with unsightly, bulky flaps of tissue. Microsurgical free tissue transfers have given us the tools for more refinement in hand soft-tissue reconstruction and have changed the standards for a successful outcome.
authors.affiliation: Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, Barnes Hospital, St. Louis, Missouri, USA.
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Upton
authors.forename: R K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Khouri
mesh_terms: D006225:Hand / Q000601:surgery*; D006230:Hand Injuries / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008866:Microsurgery / Q000379:methods; D013524:Surgical Flaps