Vein grafting in fingertip replantations

✍ Scribed by Hede Yan; William D. Jackson; Somjade Songcharoen; Ovunc Akdemir; Zhijie Li; Xinglong Chen; Liangfu Jiang; Weiyang Gao

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2009
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 318 KB
• Volume: 29
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0738-1085
• DOI: 10.1002/micr.20614

✦ Synopsis

In this retrospective study, the survival rates of fingertip replantation with and without vein grafting were evaluated along with their postoperative functional and cosmetic results. One hundred twenty-one-fingertip amputations were performed in 103 patients between September 2002 and July 2007. Thirty-four amputated fingertips were replanted without vein grafting, while 87 amputated fingertips were replanted with vein grafting for arterial and/or venous repairs. The overall survival rates of the replantations with and without vein grafting were 90% (78/87) and 85% (29/34), respectively. The survival rates were 88% (36/41) with venous repair, 93% (25/27) with arterial repair, and 89% (17/19) with both. Nineteen patients without vein grafting and 48 patients with vein grafting had a follow-up period of more than one year. Good cosmetic and functional outcomes were observed in both groups of patients. The results show that vein grafting is a reliable technique in fingertip replantations, showing no significant difference (P > 0.05) in survival between those with and without vein grafting. Furthermore, no significant difference (P > 0.05) in survival was found between cases with vein grafts for arterial and/or venous repairs. In fingertip replantations with vein grafting, favorable functional and esthetic results can be achieved without sacrificing replantation survival. V