Successful replantation of an avulsed frontal scalp through microvascular anastomoses of only one artery and one vein: a case report

Scalp avulsion is a devastating injury. The best possible procedure is replantation. Several successful scalp replantations with anastomoses of several vessels in large defects have been reported. In this report, we present a case of replantation of a large scalp avulsion using revascularizing with only one artery and vein. Despite the initial signs of flap congestion, we could predict the survival of the replanted scalp and terminate the procedure after detecting good perfusion and washout with indocyanine green fluorescence imaging. The procedure was successful following the patient's recovery of sensory and sweating functions without complications such as flap necrosis or infection. Several important factors for successful scalp replantation with positive esthetic and functional outcomes were considered.

Beware the ides of Morel-Lavallée: A lesion to consider when diagnosing trauma patients

Morel-Lavallée lesions are post-traumatic, internal degloving injuries associated with substantial patient mortality that are frequently undetected due to often presenting days to weeks after initial injury. Delay of diagnosis can perpetuate complications such as expansion and infection (Mutluoglu et al., 2021 [1]). A 46 year old male presented with a Morel-Lavallée lesion to the left anterior thigh and hip two weeks after receiving emergency care after an accident where he was thrown from his motorcycle. It is paramount that physicians consider this diagnosis when evaluating post-traumatic patients to mitigate lesion expansion, overlying skin necrosis, underlying fracture exposure and subsequent infection.

[Effects of three kinds of proximal pedicled flaps of hand for relaying repair of degloving injuries of fingertips and the soft tissue defects in the donor sites]

Objective: To investigate the effects of the dorsal branch of digital artery pedicled flap combined with V-Y advancement flap for repair of degloving injury of fingertip and reverse dorsal metacarpal recurrent artery pedicled island flap for relaying repair of the soft tissue defects in the donor sites of the proximal dorsum. Methods: A total of 21 patients with degloving injuries of fingertips at the 2nd to 5th fingers were hospitalized in the Department of Hand Surgery of the Second Hospital of Tangshan from June 2016 to January 2019, including 14 males and 7 females aged 24-60 years. The retrospective clinical follow-up study was conducted. The areas of wounds after debridement ranged from 2.0 cm×1.5 cm to 3.5 cm×2.2 cm. The dorsal branch of digital artery pedicled flaps with dorsal branch of the proper digital nerve and dorsal digital nerve were designed in the proximal dorsum of the affected fingers to repair dorsal wounds in the distal dorsum of the affected fingers, and the sizes of the flaps ranged from 1.6 cm×1.5 cm to 2.6 cm×2.4 cm. The V-Y advancement flaps in the palmar side of the affected fingers were designed to repair palmar wounds in the distal segment of the affected fingers, and the sizes of the flaps ranged from 0.8 cm×0.6 cm to 2.0 cm×1.5 cm. The reverse dorsal metacarpal recurrent artery pedicled island flaps were used to repair the soft tissue defects in the donor sites of proximal dorsum, the sizes of the flaps ranged from 1.8 cm×1.7 cm to 2.8 cm×2.6 cm, and the donor sites of the flaps in back of hand were sutured directly. The survivals after the operation and the blood supply and appearance during follow-up of the three flaps were observed. At the final follow-up, the static two-point discrimination distance of the three flaps was measured, the satisfaction degree of patients for the appearance of hand was evaluated based on Michigan Hand Function Questionnaire, and the total active range of motion of the injured finger joints was assessed by the trial standard for the evaluation of the functions of the upper limbs of the Hand Surgery Society of the Chinese Medical Association. Results: All the flaps survived after operation. Tension blisters appeared on the surface of one dorsal branch of digital artery pedicled flap, and the wound healed after removing the stitch at the pedicle and changing dressings. During follow-up of 6-20 months, with an average of 12 months, the three kinds of flaps had good appearance, soft texture, and similar color with surrounding tissue, and with only linear scars in donor sites of the dorsal hand. At the final follow-up, the static two-point discrimination distances of V-Y advancement flaps, dorsal branch of digital artery pedicled flaps, and reverse dorsal metacarpal recurrent artery pedicled island flaps were 4-7 mm, 5-10 mm, and 8-15 mm, respectively. Sixteen patients were strongly satisfied with the appearance of hand, and the remaining five patients were satisfied with the appearance of hand. The total active range of motion of the injured finger joints was evaluated as excellent in 17 cases, good in 4 cases. Conclusions: The operation is simple and reliable for dorsal branch of digital artery pedicled flap combined with V-Y advancement flap to repair the degloving injury of fingertip, and reverse dorsal metacarpal recurrent artery pedicled island flaps to repair the soft tissue defects in the donor sites of the proximal dorsum, and the appearance and function of the affected fingers recover well, with minimal injury.

Management of foot degloving injury with bilateral anterolateral thigh flaps

Foot degloving injuries are frequently encountered by reconstructive surgeons as there are more and more vehicles on the road. The separation between the deep facia and the superficial skin often damage the blood supply of the cutaneous tissue, resulting skin defect and digit necrosis. In order to manage these challenging situations, reconstructive surgeons have explored various types of techniques. Our team have managed to cure one such patient through bilateral anterolateral thigh flaps, in which the two flaps cover the dorsal and plantar side respectively. The flaps survived uneventfully and second stage operation of defatting was consequently arranged. The patient obtained protective sensation and felt satisfied with the cosmetic outcome. With the development of microsurgery, bilateral anterolateral thigh flaps could be effectively adopted to manage foot degloving injuries.