Spare-part fillet cross-finger flaps: A series of two cases

INTRODUCTION: The concept of ‘spare-part’ flaps in hand reconstruction is most commonly applied using finger fillet flaps to cover dorsal or volar hand defects. In this paper, we introduce the concept of utilization of spare-part finger fillet flaps in a cross-finger fashion. CASE REPORTS: The technique is demonstrated in two case reports. In both cases, there was one finger that was severely crushed requiring amputation. The bones from that finger were removed and the fillet finger flap was utilized to reconstruct a complex defect in an adjacent digit. Immediate post-operative physiotherapy was employed and flap division was done 17–18 days later. Both patients were satisfied with the outcome and returned back to work as manual workers. DISCUSSION: Differences between previous techniques / types of cross-finger flaps and the current spare-part fillet cross-finger flap technique are discussed. CONCLUSION: We introduce the concept of utilization of spare-part finger fillet flaps in a cross-finger fashion.