Digital replantation: a functional assessment.

With the advent of microvascular anastomosis it has become technically and practically feasible to replant amputated digits. In the last 5 years the achievements in this field of surgery have shown considerable improvement. Success is initially measured in terms of survival of the amputated digits but finally in terms of function. This paper presents a functional assessment of the authors' 33 digital replantations in 20 patients. In all of these patients the period of follow-up has been longer than 2 1/2 years. An 85% survival rate for the replanted digits was obtained. Of the 17 patients who have surviving digits function in 15 was judged to be significantly improved by the procedure. These results have permitted the development of guidelines for selecting patients who will benefit most from the procedure.