Repair of Fingertip Defect Using an Anterograde Pedicle Flap Based on the Dorsal Perforator

BACKGROUND:The purposes of this article are to introduce and assess the results of a long-term follow-up of using anterograde pedicle flap based on the dorsal branches of proper digital neurovascular bundles from the dorsum of the middle phalanx for the fingertip defect. METHODS:Between February 2011 and December 2012, 31 patients underwent reconstruction of fingertip defects using a homodigital flap based on the dorsal perforator in the middle phalanx. The defect size ranged from 1.3 cm × 1.5 cm to 2.4 cm × 3.0 cm. During surgery, the flap was designed on the dorsal middle phalangeal region. The pedicle was a neurovascular bundle consisting of an artery, vein, and sensory nerve; the rotation of pedicle was