Full-thickness skin grafts from the cubital fossa for syndactyly-release.
In syndactyly-release, skin defects along the sides of the fingers are usually covered with full-thickness skin grafts harvested from the groin. Since January 1997, we have been routinely harvesting full-thickness skin grafts from the cubital fossa instead. Skin grafts from the cubital fossa are softer and more pliable than those from the groin. Furthermore, they give a superior color match and cannot give rise to the growth of unsightly and embarrassing pubic hair in the hand. Donor-site morbidity seems to be nearly negligible, particularly if the donor site scar line is situated along one of the transverse skin creases of the cubital fossa. In cases of multiple syndactylies in a single hand, full-thickness skin grafts can be repeatedly harvested from the cubital fossa.
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Klinik für Handchirurgie und angeborene Handfehlbildungen, Krankenhaus Marienstift, Braunschweig, Germany. NielsBenatar@aol.com
D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004954:Esthetics; D005385:Fingers / Q000601:surgery; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures; D012086:Reoperation; D016038:Skin Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D013576:Syndactyly / Q000601:surgery*; D020858:Tissue and Organ Harvesting / Q000379:methods*