L'UTILIZZO DEI LEMBI ADDOMINALI ESPANSI NELLA CHIRURGIA RICOSTRUTTIVA DELLA MANO

With current techniques even difficult reconstructions can be performed, with the use of local flaps obtained from the forearm. Some of these flaps, though, like the forearm radial flap and those prepared on the ulnar artery or its branches present limitations of use, because they require the sacrifice of a main vessel and only little skin is obtained. When the loss of tissue is large, traditional methods such as McGregor inguinal flap (with added expansion) could be preferable. Preliminary expansion makes the flap larger, increases its blood supply and makes it thinner thus rendering it apt to reconstruct the hand. The Authors present two cases of severe scarring of the hand successfully treated with this technique.