The reverse digital artery flap for fingertip reconstruction.

Reverse digital artery flaps were performed successfully to resurface the major fingertip defect in 10 patients and the volar defect of the middle phalanx in 1. This thin flap with its long vascular pedicle containing a digital artery and its perivascular cuff tissue has a wide arc of transposition. It can be used to reconstruct the defect located from the proximal phalanx to the fingertip of all fingers. No loss of the flap in this series was noted. The procedure is a time-saving, one-stage operation. Patients who received this procedure had no uncomfortable immobilization of the hand or long hospitalization. It also causes no disfigurement and no functional loss of the involved digit. Our clinical experience showed favorable results.