الفهرس 
INTRODUCTIONOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Since the hand is always exposed to trauma, even if only the fingertip is lost, it presents a very large handicap for the patient, regardless of how the functional loss might be. The fingertip defect is often a large problem to the patient for not only functional reasons but also aesthetic reasons.
Successful treatment of fingertip injuries should ensure finger length, good nail appearance and cover the defect with a non-tender well padded skin with good sensation.
There are various techniques for resurfacing the fingertip defect including simple debridement with direct closure of the defect, dressing till secondary healing occurs, skin grafts when the bone is not exposed, skin flaps either local, regional or distant when the bone is exposed and even the use of microsurgical techniques.
Twenty patients with traumatic fingertip injuries constituted the material of this study. They were admitted to the Emergency Unit of the Alexandria Main University Hospital during the period from 2010 to 2012.
They were managed by subcutaneous pulp flap and repeated moist dressing.
The patients were followed up for the subjective complaints of tenderness, cosmetic appearance of nail, wound infection.
The results were statistically analyzed.
All of the cases in this study were males (100%) of working age (mean age 30.05 ± 10.35). The youngest was 16 and the oldest 53 years old.
The most common causative agent in this study was crushing by heavy mechanical devices and knives or house hold appliances.
The most common affected fingers in this study were the middle (80%) followed by the index finger (15%).
In the present study the left hand was involved in 30% of the cases compared to 70% of occurrences in the right hand.
As regards patients’ complaints, 90% of the patients in this study have no complaint while 10% complaining of the tenderness in the fingertip which interferes with performing their daily activities.