Cutaneous anthrax of the hand and its reconstruction with a reverse-flow radial forearm flap.

Bacillus anthracis infection can lead to necrosis in tissues and may manifest as a fatal disease in human beings. The authors present a patient with a large area of skin necrosis on the dorsum of the hand that was reconstructed with a reverse flow-through radial forearm flap, and they discuss the relevant literature. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first published report of such extensive necrosis resulting from anthrax limited to the extensor retinaculum of the hand.