Dorsal Ulnar Artery Flap for Dorsal Hand Defects

The dorsal ulnar artery based flap was first described by Becker and Gilbert in 1988. The dorsal ulnar flap can be raised either fascial or fasciocutaneous flap. The pedicled dorsal ulnar artery based flap has several advantages as: Flap harvesting is pretty straightforward, no flexor tendons are exposed, a major artery is not sacrificed, the donor site scar is well covered on the medial side of the forearm; hidden side; the skin is less hairy with decreased fat. In this study the author tried to overcome the drawbacks of the standard Becker flap, fascial and fasciocutaneous flaps with adipofascial pedicle based on the ascending branch of the DUA were used. The author found that this adipofascial pedicle could give greater mobility, with a good arc of rotation, so reaching more far distally in the hand and it permits an easier flap transfer without any noticeable contour abnormalities at the base of the flap.