BACKGROUND: The fingertip is essential to the quality of the bi-digital pinch. Trauma to the fingertip is common and is difficult to resolve. In pulp exchange, a homodigital neurovascular island flap reconstructs the dominant pulp using pulp from the nondominant pulp, providing good skin coverage and sensitivity. METHODS: From January 2000 to December 2008, 16 patients lost their dominant digital pulp. The surgical technique used for repair consisted of a homodigital neurovascular island flap, vascularized by the palmar digital artery of the nondominant pulp transposed to the dominant side. Flap viability, its sensitivity, and deficits in proximal and distal interphalangeal articulations were analyzed. RESULTS: In the two-point discrimination test, an average of 8 mm was measured for all digits except the ring finger. In the Semmes-Weinstein monofilament test, D1 and D3 scored 3.61, while the other fingers scored 4.31. The same contralateral digits scored 2.83, except D5, which scored 3.61. CONCLUSIONS: The technique of pulp exchange presented satisfactory functional results with regard to viability, sensitivity, and digital mobility, particularly with respect to the pinch. This local neurovascular flap also provides acceptable aesthetic results and is performed as a single surgical procedure.
Reconstructive surgical procedures; Finger injuries; Surgical flaps; Sensation
