[Free primary tissue transfer from non-replanted finger parts].

In mutilating multidigital injuries, nonreplantable parts of amputated fingers may serve well as donor sites for reconstruction of another severely damaged finger. A case of a 38 year old man is reported who suffered a severe multidigital injury of his left hand by a milling-machine. An extensive soft tissue defect of the middle finger was covered with a neurovascular flap from the nonreplantable index finger after the fractured middle phalanx was stabilized by osteosynthesis and bone grafting and the flexor tendons were sutured. The flap contained a neurovascular bundle and a dorsal vein which were sutured to the corresponding palmar artery and nerve and dorsal vein of the finger by microsurgical technique. In multidigital mutilating injuries the immediate use of a microvascular flap from a nonreplantable part is recommended to improve healing and later use of the remaining digits.