TY - JOUR ID - TI - Evaluation of Full-Thickness Skin Grafting with De-Epithelialization of the Wound Margin for Finger Defects with E xposed Tendon AU - PY - 2020 VL - 19 IS - 3 SP - 187 EP - 193 JO - Iraqi Postgraduate Medical Journal المجلة العراقية للاختصاصات الطبية SN - 83601608 98932708 AB - ABSTRACT:BACKGROUND:Full-thickness skin grafts are generally considered unreliable for coverage of full-thickness fingerdefects with exposed tendons, but there are some clinical reports of its use in this context. In thisstudy, covering the exposed tendon with FTSG with de-epithelialization of wound edges waschosen.OBJECTIVE:To evaluate the reliability of FTSG survival on an exposed tendon in full thickness finger defects.PATIENTS AND METHODS:From January 2017 to May 2018, nine patients (5 males, 4 females), with tendon-exposed defects of12 fingers managed with FTSGs.This included marginal de-epithelialization of the normal skinsurrounding the defect, and preservation of the subdermal plexus of the central graft, and partialexcision of the dermis along the graft margin. The donor site was from mastoid, wrist or groinregion.RESULTS:Most of grafts (10 of 12 fingers) survived without significant surgical complications and achievedsatisfactory functional and aesthetic results.CONCLUSION:In this study graft survival was good, with no additional surgical injury of the normal fingers, andsatisfactory functional and aesthetic outcomes. However, few disadvantages like depression andgraft hyperpigmentation were recorded. Therefore, FTSG is an option for treatment of full-thicknessfinger defects with the exposed tendon.

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