Homodigital reconstruction of the digits--the perspective of one unit.
Over a period of ten years, a strategy of reconstruction of digital injuries has been evolved in our unit which now allows us to reconstruct most defects of the digits with more predictable and, hopefully, better results than in the 1980s. This policy includes much of the philosophy and techniques of earlier and contemporary surgeons, with local modifications which we believe are improvements of the earlier techniques and a few new procedures. Wherever possible, the extraordinary capacity of the digital skin to regenerate has been exploited and homodigital techniques of reconstruction are used to limit the total injury of the trauma and reconstruction to the damaged digit. The techniques which we currently use are summarised in this article.
Elliot
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Department of Hand Surgery, St. Andrew's Centre for Plastic Surgery, Broomfield Hospital, Chelmsford, Essex, UK.
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D000673:Amputation, Traumatic / Q000601:surgery*; D005383:Finger Injuries / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D017695:Soft Tissue Injuries / Q000601:surgery*; D013524:Surgical Flaps; D013536:Suture Techniques; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000502:physiology