Radial collateral artery perforator flap with preserved posterior antebrachial cutaneous nerve to repair soft tissue defects of the hand
Wei Hewang
Zou Qingyang
Ma Guangpu
Wang Hengjun
Chen Yongxiang
Wu Peng
Zang Chengwu
Cong Rui
Abstract：Objective To investigate the application and effect of radial collateral artery perforator flap with preservation of the posterior antebrachial cutaneous nerve in the repair of hand soft tissue defects.Methods Eight-een patients with hand soft tissue defects who were admitted to the two hospitals of authors between Aug.2022 to Aug.2024 were included.There were 10 males and 8 females.The average age was 38 years(range,18-60 years).The causes of hand soft tissue defects included machine crush(n=6),road traffic accident(n=4),skin soft tissue avulsion(n=3),scar resection at late-stage post-injury(n=2),and others(n=3).Defects were loca-ted on the dorsal side of the hand in 8 patients,palmar side of the hand in 6 patients,and fingers in 4 patients.De-fect size ranged from 6.5 cm×12.0 cm to 4.5 cm×6.5 cm.To repair the defects,radial collateral artery perforator flaps with preservation of the posterior antebrachial cutaneous nerve were designed and harvested according to the size and shape of the defects.The donor site was directly closed using subcutaneous tension-reducing suture.Results After surgery,all flaps survived and the wounds healed in stage I.All patients were followed up for an average of 8.8(range 6-14)months.The flaps did not appear swollen,exhibiting soft texture and good elasticity,without pig-mentation,ulceration or frostbite.The junction between the peripheral edge of the flap and the native tissues of the hand healed well,with no flap contracture or scar hyperplasia.Only linear scars remained at the donor site,where the skin sensation on the posterior forearm was consistent with that on the healthy side,without the occurrence of numbness,pain,or hypoesthesia.Conclusion Radial collateral artery perforator flap with preservation of the poste-rior antebrachial cutaneous nerve can prevent postoperative adverse events such as numbness,pain,and hypoesthesia in the posterior forearm region,which represents an excellent option for the repair and reconstruction of soft tissue defects of the hand.
Keywords：Soft tissue defects of the handRadial collateral artery perforator flapPosterior antebrachial cutaneous nerve
Publication Date：2026-01-15
Online Publishing Date：2026-03-03(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：5( 41-44,54 )