title: POSTERIOR INTERBONE ARTERY FLAP FOR COVERING SERIOUS FOREARM, WRIST AND HAND INJURIES.
abstract: To assess the results achieved with posterior interbone artery flap covering serious injuries of the distal third of the forearm, wrist and hand, evaluating the degree of effectiveness of this procedure.
  
  
  METHODS
  35 patients with serious injuries of the distal third of upper limbs were studied. We assessed the kind of trauma, injury site, flap size, skin coverage need, clinical outcome and complications.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The most frequent mechanism of trauma was motorcycle accident. The most commonly affected regions were: dorsal hand, wrist volar regions and the first commissure. In all patients, the flap size was enough to cover key tissues exposed by the injury. The donor area did not show complications, being primarily closed in 23 cases. The outcomes were good for 31 cases. In 22 patients, no complication was found, and the flap was completely lost in four.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Posterior interbone artery flap provides good outcomes in covering serious injuries of the distal third of upper limbs, leading to a stable and reliable coverage, not compromising key irrigating arteries of the hand, enabling the performance of reconstruction procedures. Therefore, this is a useful alternative in such cases.
authors.affiliation: Hand and Reconstructive Microsurgery Clinic, Hospital de Urgências de Goiânia (HUGO), Goiânia, Brazil.
authors.forename: Sérgio José
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: de Lima
authors.affiliation: Hand and Reconstructive Microsurgery Clinic, Hospital de Urgências de Goiânia (HUGO), Goiânia, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ricardo Pereira
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Domingos da Costa
authors.affiliation: Hand and Reconstructive Microsurgery Clinic, Hospital de Urgências de Goiânia (HUGO), Goiânia, Brazil.
authors.forename: Emanoel
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: de Oliveira
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Hospital de Urgências de Goiânia (HUGO), Goiânia, Brazil.
authors.forename: Fabrício Guimarães
authors.initials: FG
authors.lastname: Prudente
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Hospital de Urgências de Goiânia (HUGO), Goiânia, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marcelo Paris
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Mendonça
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Hospital de Urgências de Goiânia (HUGO), Goiânia, Brazil.
authors.forename: Christiano
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Soares de Camargo
keywords: Hand traumas; Surgical flaps; Wrist traumas