Pulp thumb defect reconstruction using a twin neurovascular island flaps: a case report

In this report, we present the functional and cosmetic results of a case with complete loss of the thumb pulp for which the Chen and Noordhoof techniques has been chosen for reconstruction. A 33-year-old man, artisan, had his right thumb caught in a machine during the work, resulting in a degloving injury in the entire pulp of the distal phalanx of the thumb with all other digits of the right hand intact. The patient was a young man, in good health and non-smoker. He was involved in a heavy manual work for which an appropriate soft coverage of the distal thumb was desirable. A reconstruction of the thumb pulp with a twin neurovascular island flaps as described by Chen and Noordhoff was planned and performed the day after his admission to the hospital. The patient turned up to work at 10 weeks after surgery. After 2 years, we obtained a good aesthetic result, a sensitivity in the thumb and at the donor site comparable to the other hand and a complete recovery of normal function of the hand. In focal pulp loss of the thumb, the twin neurovascular island flaps suggested by Chen and Noordhoff could be an easy and efficient method to reconstruct soft tissue coverage and sensibility when microsurgical setting and abilities are not available.