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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Surg.
Sec. Reconstructive and Plastic Surgery
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fsurg.2024.1508100

The use of a perforator-based flap of the palmar ulnar artery for reconstruction of defects caused by treatment of severe contractures due to Dupuytren's disease

Provisionally accepted
Jiangping Dai Jiangping Dai 1,2Hui Wang Hui Wang 1*Haifeng Wang Haifeng Wang 1,2Xinyang Sun Xinyang Sun 1,2Yihan Zhang Yihan Zhang 1,2
  • 1 Tangshan Second Hospital, Tangshan, China
  • 2 College of Graduate School, North China University of science and technology, Tangshan, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Objective: To investigate the clinical effectiveness of the perforator flap of the ulnar palm in repairing soft tissue defects in the palm and fifth digit following severe Dupuytren's contracture. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted between March 2013 and January 2023. Twenty-five patients of soft tissue defects occurred after severe Dupuytren's contracture release were treated by the perforator flap of the ulnar palm. Improvements in symptoms and functionality were assessed and compared before and after surgery. Data regarding the degree of contracture, two-point discrimination, and Total Active Motion scale of the affected hand were collected by the same physician at the specified time points (Preoperative, postoperative and final follow-up), along with an evaluation of the donor and recipient areas of the flap. Concurrently, patients completed the Visual Analog Scale and Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand questionnaires. Results: All the 25 flaps survived uneventfully and the wound healed primarily. The follow-up time was 15-26 months (average, 20.48 months). At the final follow-up, the flap appearance score of patient satisfaction ranged from 4 to 5 (mean,4.72). The average two-point discrimination value of the flap was 5.52±0.97 mm. The contracture of the affected hand was improved with a mean TAM of 229°±16.75°. Furthermore, the degree of pain and functional status of the affected hand had improved (P＜0.05). Conclusion: The perforator flap of the ulnar palm is a good option to repair the wound occurred after the severe Dupuytren's contracture release.

    Keywords: Dupuytren's contracture, the ulnar palmar artery, Surgical flap, perforator flap -based, wound repair

    Received: 08 Oct 2024; Accepted: 30 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Dai, Wang, Wang, Sun and Zhang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Hui Wang, Tangshan Second Hospital, Tangshan, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.