Bilateral temporoparietal fascial free flaps for reconstruction of bilateral hand defects: A report of two cases

Abstract

Bilateral temporoparietal fascial free flaps were used for reconstruction of bilateral hand defects in two male patients. A 42-year-old man sustained crushed injury to both hands with avulsion defects and exposed bones and tendons. The two separate procedures were performed under general anesthesia. The temporoparietal fascial free flap was skin grafted on the ward on the following day after the operation. The other patient was a 61-year-old leprosy patient who had bilateral high ulnar nerve palsy for 28 years. One simultaneous procedure was performed under local anesthesia for harvesting the temporoparietal fascial free flaps and under brachial block for preparation of the recipient sites. The free flaps were used for augmentation of the atrophic first web spaces. The postoperative results of the two cases were satisfactory. The functions of both hands were restored with normal gliding mechanism of the tendons in the first case, and permanent correction of the atrophic web spaces was demonstrated in the second case. The temporoparietal fascial free flap is an ideal flap for coverage of hand defects as well as augmentation of first web space atrophy. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.