2. Introduction
• Fingertip injury is any soft tissue, nail or bony
injury distal to insertion of the long flexor and
extensor tendon of a finger or thumb.
• Acute fingertip and thumb injuries are
common and require prompt and meticulous
composite soft tissue repair in incomplete
amputations.
3. Epidemiology
• Can affect all ages but common in working
class adults and children.
• In adults
– Laceration (Most common)
– Crush & Avulsion injuries
• In children
– Most injuries arise at home and due to
jamming/crushing by doors
4. Clinical Presentation
• History
– Mechanism:
• Avulsion
• Laceration
• Crush
– Hand dominance
– Occupation & Hobbies
– Time since injury
– Tetanus immunization status
5. Clinical Presentation
• Physical Examination
– Inspection
• Crush vs Sharp injury
• Presence or absence of exposed bone
• Red line sign
• Ribbon sign
• Nail or Nail bed involvement
• Viability of tip
• Presence of foreign body
– Range of motion
• Flexor and Extensor tendon involvement
7. Allens Classification
Type Feature
Type I Involving pulp only
Type II Pulp & Nail bed
Type III Distal phalanx fracture with pulp & nail bed
Type IV Lanula, Distal phalanx fr, Pulp & Nail bed
8. Classification
Zone Characterstics
Zone I Distal to distal phalanx
Nail bed & matrix preserved
Zone II Distal to lunula of nail bed
Distal phalanx exposed
Zone III Nail matrix involved
Loss of entire nail bed
Reference : Treatment of fingertip and nail bed injury
Rosenthal EA
Orthop Clin North Am 1983 Oct; 14(4):675-97
10. Objective of Repair
• To restore
– Sensibility
– Function
– Survial
– Adequate length
11. Principle of Finger Amputation
1. Volar Skin flap should be long enough to cover the
volar surface and tip of osseous structure and join
dorsal flap without tension
2. End of digital nerve dissected carefully and resected
6mm proximal to soft tissue flap to prevent painful
neuroma
3. Flexor and extensor tendon should be drawn distally,
divided and allowed to retract proximally.
4. When amputation through joint the osseous condyle
should be contoured to avoid clubbing
5. Before wound closure tourniquet should be released
and vessel cauterized.
12. Management
• Non Operative
– Healing by secondary intention (<1 cm skin loss
with no bone & exposed tendon)
Ref : Indian J Orthop. 2007 Apr-Jun;41(2) 163-168
• Operative
– Primary closure (Revision amputation)
– Full thickness skin grafting
– Flap Reconstruction
13. Healing by Secondary Intention
• Initial treatment with
irrigation and soft dressing
• After 7-10 days, soak in
water peroxide solution
daily followed by
application of soft dressing
and fingertip protector
• Complete healing : 3-5
weeks
14. Revision Amputation
• Remove remaining nail matrix to prevent
irritant nail remnant
• If flexor or extensor tendon insertion cannot
be preserved, disarticulate DIP joint
• Cut digital nerve & remaining tendon as
proximal as possible
• Palmar skin brought over bone and sutured to
dorsal skin
15. Flap Reconstruction Techniques
Site Technique
1. Finger Tip Straight/Dorsal Oblique Laceration
•V-Y advancement flap
•Digital island artery
Volar Oblique Laceration
•Cross finger flap (age>30 yrs)
•Thenar flap (age<30 yrs)
2. Volar Proximal Finger Cross finger (Age>30 yrs)
Axial flag flap from long finger
3. Dorsal Proximal Finger & MCP Reverse Cross Finger
Axial flap from long finger
4. Volar Thumb Moberg Advancement Volar Flap (<2cm)
FDMA (if >2cm)
Neurovascular Island Flap (upto 4 cm)
5. Dorsal Thumb FDMA
6. First Web Space Z plasty with 60 degree flaps
Posterior Interosseous Fasciocutaneuos flap
7. Dorsal Hand Groin Flap