Nerve Transfer for Finger Sensory Reconstruction With Dorsal Branch of the Digital Nerve

A proper digital nerve (PDN) defect causes partial or complete sensory loss of the finger pulp, which results in functional disability.The dorsal branch of the PDN can be transferred for reconstruction of such nerve defects.In this study, the investigators modified the Lesavoy et al' technique and evaluated the efficacy of dorsal sensory branch transfer for PDN defects. For comparison, the investigators collected a consecutive series of 32 patients with finger PDN defects treated using a traditional sural nerve graft from February 2005 to October 2008.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Sensory Restoration of the Reconstructed Finger Pulps; Cold Intolerance of the Reconstructed Finger; Pain of the Reconstructed Finger
• Intervention / Treatment: Procedure: Nerve transfer

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 17
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• China
  • Hebei
    • Tangshan, Hebei, China, 063000
      • Ethetic Committee of Tangshan

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 15 years to 50 years (ADULT, CHILD)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Finger PDN defects proximal to the proximal interphalangeal joint
2. Single or two PDN defects
3. PDN defects longer than 1 cm.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. PDN defects less than 1 cm
2. Concomitant injuries to the multiple dorsal sensory branches that preclude their use as nerve donor sites
3. Thumb PDN defects.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: TREATMENT
• Allocation: NA
• Interventional Model: SINGLE_GROUP
• Masking: NONE

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
OTHER: Nerve repair; the dorsal branch of the proper digital nerve was used as a pedicle nerve for reconstructing PDN defects	Procedure: Nerve transfer; the dorsal branch was used as a pedicle nerve for reconstructing PDN defects; Other Names: Local pedicle nerve transfer

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
static 2-point discrimination (2PD) test	At final follow-up, we measured the sensibility of the pulps and the donor sites using the static 2-point discrimination (2PD) test. The test points were at the center of the radial or ulnar portion of the pulp and the donor sites separately. Each area was tested 3 times with a Dellon-Mackinnon discriminator. Two out of 3 correct answers were considered proof of perception before proceeding to another lower value.	26 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
self-administered Cold Intolerance Severity Score (CISS) questionnaire	The maximum score was 100 and was grouped into 4 ranges (0-25, 26-50, 51-75, and 76-100), corresponding to mild, moderate, severe, and extreme severity, respectively.	26 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: The Second Hospital of Tangshan
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Peifu Tang, MD., Chinese PLA General Hospital

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: May 1, 2007
• Primary Completion (ACTUAL): June 1, 2009
• Study Completion (ACTUAL): January 1, 2012

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 19, 2012
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 20, 2012
• First Posted (ESTIMATE): March 21, 2012

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (ESTIMATE): March 21, 2012
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 20, 2012
• Last Verified: March 1, 2012

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: nerve transfer; defect; dorsal branch of the proper digital nerve; proper digital nerve; finger sensory reconstruction
• Other Study ID Numbers: CHEN-19750471